Hidden Sunray
by ConvictedDreamer
Summary: Naruto had disappeared when he was five years old, leaving his parents to be heartbroken. After years of searching, they had finally found a lead to him. Now they need to find their little lost sunshine again before it is too late... Minato POV, mostly. INDEFINITE HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Naruto had disappeared when he was five years old, leaving his parents to be heartbroken. After years of searching, they had finally found a lead to him. Will they find their little lost sunshine again or will they be too late to save him? Alive!Minato and Alive!Kushina. Minato POV

**Warnings:** There might be spoilers on chapters 498 up to 504 in the manga. In other words, the story about Minato and Kushina.

**Pairings:** MinatoxKushina, KakashixRin. There might be others as well, but right now these are the only ones. This is after all not a ROMANCE fic, but a FAMILY fic. I just don't want people to flame me because they don't like the pairings. There is a reason the pairings are that way, and it's not because I prefer that pairing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. This applies to all subsequent chapters.

**A/N 2010-12-06: **I forget to mention that this story is a bit AU. It more or less follows canon until just before the Kyuubi attack, but from there it changes completely. In this story, the Kyuubi attack never happened and Madara never interfered.

**Hidden Sunray**

Chapter 1

_The air is silent. Too silent. Something is wrong. He knows this instinctively, and his instincts have never proven him wrong. Something is happening that is not supposed to happen. He walks in a corridor in his house, opening a door and peering inside, only to find nothing out of the ordinary. He closes the door and moves on to the next one, repeating the pattern. He continues this pattern endlessly; opening and closing endless doors until he finally reaches the last one in the corridor. He feels his breath fasten with trepidation as he reaches out with his hand to open the door. Fear grows inside his chest, threatening to engulf him. The sense of wrongness seems to radiate from the room beyond the door. His trembling hand hesitantly touches the doorknob and with agonizing slowness he turns the knob. He feels his breath fasten even more as he waits for the agonizing minute it takes for the creaking door to fully open to pass. He feels his heart beating a thousand kilometres per hour in fearful anticipation as the creaking door slowly opens to reveal...nothing._

_He stares in absent confusion at the room that appears exactly like all the others he has opened. The navy-blue curtains in front of the window billows out slightly as a soft breeze enters the room through the window. The dresser in the room is still standing in the same spot where it has always stood. The pictures placed on top of the dresser are still in exactly the same position they are supposed to be. The toy-box still stands in the corner of the room, its lid completely closed. The bed with its blue-and-orange covers is still standing against the wall, completely made and not a wrinkle in sight. _

_He stares in confusion at the room. He _knows _that there is something wrong with the room; his instincts are still shouting at him. He allows his gaze to carefully move across the room; focusing on everything. There is still nothing wrong. He frowns in utter confusion at the feeling of wrongness that his gut is still yelling at him. Did his instincts finally fail him? He sweeps his gaze across the room: across the simple dresser, the closed toy-box, the window and its billowing curtains before it stops at the neatly-made bed. He feels the sense of wrongness intensify._

_His breath catches in his chest when he finally realises what is wrong. The bed is not supposed to be made. The bed is not supposed to be empty. A little boy with shocking bright blond hair is supposed to be sleeping peacefully in the bed without a care in the world. He steps completely into the room, his hand releasing the doorknob for the first time. The door closes with a creak behind him and a thud as it slams into the frame. He spins around at the loud sound and stares bewildered at the closed door._

"_Daddy..." A soft, whimpering voice sounds from the direction of the window. He spins around quickly at the sound and his eyes widen when he sees the little boy standing by the window, clutching his favourite stuffed animal. The boy's large cerulean eyes stares frightened at him. The boy trembles slightly in fear and continues to stare at him, pleading desperately with his eyes._

"_Daddy...help me. I'm afraid..." The fear is almost palpable in the soft whimpering voice. The frightened cerulean eyes continue to stare at him and he reaches out towards the boy with longing. He wants to take his little boy into his arms and assure him that everything will be alright. He steps closer towards his son, but his son starts to disappear with each step he gives. He rushes towards the child, desperate to reach him in time. He reaches out with his hand and is mere millimetres away from the frightened face when the boy disappears completely. He stares at the empty space where his son had stood not even a minute ago, tears streaming soundlessly down his cheeks. _

_His eyes drift towards the floor where the stuffed animal lies forlornly, staring at him with empty beady eyes. He bends over slowly and picks up the stuffed toy, holding it between his hands. Something breaks down inside his heart and he sinks sobbingly down to his knees on the bedroom floor, clutching the stuffed animal to his heart._

"_Naruto..."_

Minato jerked upright in his bed, breathing heavily. The dream was still prominent in his mind, the images flashing through his head and the feeling of grief and hopelessness lying heavily on his breast. He stared at the cream covers of the bed for a few minutes before closing his eyes and willing himself to calm down. '_It was a dream. It was just a dream.'_ He opened his eyes again and stared unseeingly at the covers. _'If only the fact that he is gone was also just a dream,' _he thought sadly, his thoughts lingering on the absence of the little blue-eyed boy.

The covers on the bed shifted as the woman lying beside him stirred slightly. Kushina opened her grey eyes and looked sleepily at him. Her eyes widened in concern however when she saw his haggard expression and she half-rose, leaning on her arm.

"Minato? What's wrong?" she asked concernedly. He broke out of his stupor and threw his legs off the bed, sitting still for a second before he buried his face in his hands.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Nothing. It was just a dream," he answered her and stood up from the bed. He could feel her gaze follow him to the bathroom, but he paid no mind to it. He walked into the bathroom and opened the tap, pouring himself a glass of water.

His thoughts flitted through his mind at an unbelievable speed. It had been more than a month since his last nightmare and he had thought that they had finally ceased. So why did it return again? He closed the tap when the glass was full and drank the water slowly, the coldness burning through him and causing his mind to clear. The images from the nightmare were still lingering in his mind, banishing any hopes of returning to sleep.

A soft rustling by the door caused him to glance over his shoulder. Kushina leaned against the doorframe with her arms folded across her chest. There were a thousand questions and emotions in her eyes, but the most prominent one was comprehension.

"Did you dream about _him_ again?" she asked softly. He felt his heart sink slightly at her words. He had never been able to hide anything from her: she had always been able to read him like an open book. It was one of the many reasons he loved her so much.

He turned his gaze back to the sink, nodding mutely. Her nightgown rustled again as she approached him, circling her arms around his waist from behind and resting her head on his broad back. They stood a few minutes in complete silence, revelling in each others' presence. Nothing more was said: nothing more was needed. He could feel the grief in her posture as well: the grief that was always prominent whenever she was reminded of the hyperactive little bundle they had called their son.

He turned around in her loose grip and enveloped her in his arms, soothing her in turn. He closed his eyes and gently rested his chin on top of her head. "I'm sorry," he murmured softly. He truly was sorry for opening old wounds.

She shook her head in his chest. "It's ok. It's not your fault. It's just...I miss him so much," she said, her voice cracking at the last part, clearly indicating that she was desperately trying to keep back tears.

He felt the guilt rise in his chest and he tightened his arms around her reflexively. "I know. I know you do. I miss him just as much," he murmured softly into her hair. Her body started to rack slightly as her sobs finally broke out. He just stood there, allowing her to cry herself out.

It still felt unreal: the knowledge that their son was gone. He had been a part of their lives for five years when he had suddenly been ripped away. He had just disappeared one night: he was sleeping peacefully in his bed when Kushina looked in at him before she retired for the night and gone when Minato returned to their home from the Hokage tower an hour later. Somehow, the seals Minato had placed around the house had been circumvented (though nobody had managed to figure out how) and Bear, the ANBU that had been responsible for guarding the boy, had been found knocked out in an extremely strong genjutsu. It had required someone with impeccable chakra control to dispel the genjutsu. It had been no easy feat, especially since Bear himself was a genjutsu master as well.

Bear had been mortified and vowed to find the boy and bring him back. Minato had approved of the mission and Bear had taken his team to search for the boy. It had already been five years since that fateful night, but there was still no sign of the boy and Bear was still searching faithfully. He returned every now and then to report his progress, but he never remained for longer than it took to report and stocking up, before he and his team returned to the search.

Kushina leaned back from Minato's chest and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just..." she started softly, but drifted off into silence. Minato gently touched her tear-stained cheek.

"It's ok, I understand," he told her with a gentle smile on his face. She smiled wanly at him and embraced him once more before turning around. She looked at the small clock sitting demurely on the bathroom counter. Its glowing hands indicated the time: 4:28.

She laughed forcedly and turned to Minato. "Well, it would be pretty pointless to start the day this early, so I'm going back to bed." He could tell that she was faking her cheerfulness, but he could not blame her. It was another thing that he loved about her: she refused to stay down. She always tried her best to go through life with a cheerful attitude, even when she was hurt. He watched her leave, wishing he could relieve her from her pain. He knew, however, that the only thing that would take her pain (and his) away would be the return of their child.

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Minato sat in his chair by the mission station at the Hokage Tower, utterly bored. He had been forced to listen to mission reports on D-rank missions for an hour already and there were still three hours left of torture. He was starting to wish for something more exciting to happen, even though he knew that that was not necessarily a good thing. He sighed slightly at the prospect of piles of paperwork waiting for him to be completed when he was done with the daily four hours of boring mission reports. The chuunin sitting beside him shot him a sympathetic look when he heard his Hokage sigh.

A knock sounded on the door and after a curt order from Minato, the door opened to reveal another genin team and their jounin sensei. The two boys in the genin team were dirty with leaves and twigs in their hair and the girl was only slightly less dirty. However, instead of leaves and twigs in her hair, her face was sporting several sore-looking scratches and she was clinging with all her might to a very nervous cat with a red ribbon on its left ear that was desperately trying to escape. Minato groaned inwardly: they had clearly gotten the mission to catch the Fire Daimyo's wife's runaway cat.

The jounin sensei cleared his throat to deliver their mission report. Minato sighed internally. It was at times like these that he wondered why he ever wanted to become Hokage. The jounin delivered the report neutrally, but Minato could sense that he was disgruntled with his team. Well, it was understandable: it had taken the genin team four hours to catch the blasted cat. The girl was staring at the cat with undisguised hatred and handed it to its owner with glee. Minato just sighed at the sight: clearly they still had a long way to go.

He dismissed them after they handed the cat over to its owner and settled down again to wait for more mission reports. He glanced at the clock on the wall: still two and a half hours to go.

There was another knock on the door and it opened to reveal a chuunin. The chuunin cleared his throat and addressed his hokage.

"Hokage-sama, there is an ANBU who wishes to speak with you. He wears the mask of a bear," the chuunin told the Hokage. Minato sat up straight in his chair, surprised to hear the message. He did not expect Bear, the ANBU who had taken it upon himself to find the Hokage's missing son, to show up. Bear had reported in a few days ago, so just the fact that he was here again showed that he might've found some new information. Minato dismissed himself from the mission desk and briskly walked to his office. He entered his office and saw Bear waiting for him in front of his desk. He took his seat by his desk in his office and neutrally looked at Bear. He could feel the anxiety build up in him, but he did not allow it to show on his face. He still had an image to uphold, after all.

Minato formed a tent with his fingers. "So? Did you find anything?" he asked Bear hopefully, not bothering with any pleasantries. Bear started to speak, but before he could say anything, a gruff voice interrupted him.

"Not yet, Minato. But I had, and thought that it would be prudent to let the both of you know. I'm lazy, so I told him to meet us here. That way I don't need to say it twice," the gruff voice stated from the direction of the window. Minato looked at the window and saw his white-haired former sensei sit on the windowsill. He sighed internally. Why can't his sensei just enter a room the way a normal person does?

He turned his attention to the white-haired man. "What do you mean, Jiraya? What did you find?" he asked his former sensei, a slight frown between his brows. Jiraya jumped into the room and looked at Minato with a solemn expression on his face.

"I received a message from one of my agents some while ago. This agent told me that there is some kind of prison located close to Amegakure. It is in the charge of a number of missing-nin from all over the world and all of them have one thing in common: they all want somebody in their pasts to suffer. According to my agent, there are innocent people in that prison that are all treated like criminals. At first I thought that it's very sad and all that, but it had nothing to do with me, until my agent continued.

"They don't only hold innocent people in there, but children as well. And, my agent heard a rumour that there is a young blond-haired blue-eyed boy in there," the sannin told the Hokage solemnly.

Minato's eyes widened. It was very indefinite, but if the rumour was true, then it was possible he could have his son back. Even though a rumour about a blond blue-eyed boy could be anyone, he knew that it was possible. It was more than possible, since he _knew_ that he had enemies that wouldn't think twice about it if they had been given the chance to let Konoha's Yellow Flash suffer.

He fixed his attention on Jiraya again. "What else did your agent tell you?" he asked the sannin tensely.

Jiraya sadly shook his head. "That was all. But, I thought I'd let you know. It's definitely worth investigation," he stated.

Minato's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're right," he muttered softly. "It _is_ definitely worth investigation." He turned his attention to the ANBU who had listened to Jiraya in silence.

"Bear, I want you to take your team and gather as much information about that place as you can, even if it means that you have to infiltrate it. Find out if my son is truly in there, whether Amegakure knows about this and also exactly who is controlling that place. I want you to bring any information you can find directly to me. I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but one of the most important things you need to find out is whether Ame is involved at all and if they are, what level of involvement they have in this affair. I want you to conduct this in a manner which would attract the least suspicion and I want you to return before the week is over. Remember, I only want information right now. Once you have found the necessary information, return immediately. Do you have any questions?" he asked the masked ANBU.

Bear hesitated slightly. "And if we find your son?" he asked tentatively. Minato felt his heart clench at the thought of his son in that place.

"As much as it goes against my heart, I don't want you to spark an international incident. If the leader of Amegakure is involved in, this, ANY change could stir an international incident. I repeat: I ONLY want information. If my son is in there, we'll take it further once you return. Is there any other questions?" he asked the ANBU. Bear merely shook his head.

"Then you are dismissed," the Yondaime said authoritatively and Bear immediately departed from the office.

"You don't seriously believe that Yahiko had anything to do with this, do you?" Jiraya asked Minato, a slight hint of anger in his voice. Jiraya's student Yahiko had become the leader of Amegakure a few years ago after they had successfully defeated Hanzou with Jiraya's and some other Konoha-nin's help. Minato had found enough evidence in that battle to execute Danzou on the charge of treason as well, so it had been a win-win solution for both Konoha and the Ame resurgence. Minato could understand the reason for Jiraya's anger.

"Sensei, I don't know _what_ to believe anymore. I don't want to suspect him, but if something like that had been happening beneath his very nose, then I can't help but to suspect him. If he is innocent, fine. I'll ask him for permission to handle that place if Bear finds any concrete evidence that my son is in there. If Bear finds nothing, then we'll never mention it again," he fiercely told his sensei. An uncomfortable silence fell between them for a small while until Jiraya broke it.

"And if he is...guilty?" he asked Minato very softly. Minato looked away from his sensei.

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," he stated levelly.

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The wind blew softly over Konoha, gently rustling the leaves on the large trees. Butterflies fluttered colourfully over flowers and birds chirped happily on the branches of the trees. The entire village was basked in a slightly orange glow as the sun started to set in the horizon.

A loud crash filled the air and the birds flew away from the trees, startled away from their nesting places and several ninja reflexively grabbed a kunai. They looked around for a few seconds and relaxed when they saw no danger anywhere close to them. They realised it was just another ninja training before they shrugged it off and returned to their own business.

A blond shinobi stood in a large training area, surveying the damage he did. A boulder standing in the middle of the clearing bore several large spherical indentations. Minato stared absently at the rock and a blue sphere slowly started to swirl in his hand, but dissipated as he let the energy go. He sighed in frustration as he continued to stare at the boulder with a slight scowl on his face. He focused chakra in his hand again and continued his exercise.

Several new indentations later he angrily gave up on his exercise. He turned around and moved towards the edge of the clearing where a masked silver-haired man with his forehead protector across his left eye leaned against a tree. The man's black eye followed the blonde until Minato reached him. The man wordlessly handed a towel to his Hokage which Minato took gratefully. He wiped the sweat from his face while the other man just continued to look at him.

"Still no luck, sensei?" the silver-haired man asked Minato.

Minato sighed and shook his head. "No, I still can't manage to add my element to the Rasengan. I'm starting to wonder if it is possible at all," he said and turned his gaze to the masked man. "You're lucky you didn't have that problem with the Chidori, Kakashi."

Kakashi smiled and shrugged slightly. "True, but Chidori doesn't incorporate perfect shape manipulation like the Rasengan does. What you're trying to do is on an entirely different level of difficulty," he pointed out. Minato acknowledged the point with a slight tilt of his head and they both walked away from the training field in silence, the ANBU responsible for guarding the Hokage following unobtrusively.

They walked in complete silence for a few minutes until they reached the village. A young woman with neck-long brown hair and rectangular purple stripes on her cheeks leaned against a building, but quickly rushed towards the two men when they came in sight. She flashed Minato a smile and bowed slightly at him before she grabbed Kakashi's forearm.

"Good evening, Hokage-sama. Would you mind it if I steal your companion for the rest of the evening?" she smilingly asked her Hokage.

Minato smiled at her and a hint of amusement twinkled in his eyes. "Of course you can take him, Rin. He _is _your fiancé, after all," he told his other student with a smile on his face. Even after he had become Hokage, he had still kept constant contact with his two students. They had all become very close after Obito's death, as they had helped each other to deal with the loss of the cheerful Uchiha.

Rin smiled again at Minato and with another bow, she dragged Kakashi away from him. Minato stared after them in amusement for a few minutes before he walked towards the Hokage mansion. Kushina had said that she was going to make his favourite meal, so he had been looking forward to going back home. A gentle smile crossed his face when he thought of his fiery red-haired wife. He always looked forward to seeing her in the evenings, since she was one of the few people who had always been able to cheer him up.

He sighed softly when another thought flashed across his mind and his smile dwindled slightly. There had been only one other person who had been able to cheer him up instantly: his son. His son had been a little ray of sunlight in their lives and he had always been able to cheer the both of them up through his hyperactive actions. His foxy grin was deeply engraved on Minato's heart and there wasn't a day that passed that Minato didn't long for his son. He knew that Kushina felt the same way he did.

He thought about his son's cheerful attitude and his thoughts suddenly turned to the discussion he had had with Bear and Jiraya in his office. He remembered they told him that other children lived in there as well. Even if his son wasn't in there, just the thought of innocent children locked away in a place like that caused a chill to settle into his heart, especially when he tried to imagine the kind of lives those children must've lived. Of course, he did not know why those children were in there in the first place, but if what Jiraya told him was true, then those children were completely innocent. He felt the chill in his heart intensify when he tried to imagine his son in the kind of conditions common of a place like that. He shivered at the thought and desperately tried to turn his thoughts away from it. According to Jiraya, there _was_ a possibility that his little hyperactive bundle of energy was in there. A part of him hoped that his son wasn't in there, but another traitorous part of him hoped that he was, since that would mean that they would finally be able to find the boy. Still, he did not want his son to spend five years of his life in that manner.

He sighed again. There was nothing left to do about the matter. All he could do was wait for Bear's next report. He angrily banished the thoughts from his head and turned his mind again to the jutsu he had been working on that afternoon. In theory, it should be possible to add his elemental chakra to the Rasengan, but in practice it was incredibly difficult. But maybe if he tried to...hmm. He would need to experiment more before he can be able to make any concrete decisions. If he was lucky, his plan might work and he will finally be able to add his element to the Rasengan. Only practise and time would be able to tell.

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A dark figure crouched beneath the bushes on the cliff, attentively keeping its gaze on the building beneath it. A few other figures laid in wait behind the first figure, attentively awaiting orders. The figure scanned his surroundings for a few minutes before he deemed it safe and gestured with two fingers, gesturing the other figures forward. The figures behind him disappeared into the darkness before he himself also moved down into the ravine where the building rested. His bear mask glimmered slightly in the wan moonlight for a split second before he moved into the darkness again.

He soundlessly approached the building and waited for the patrol to pass, slipping into the building when the sentry moved away to investigate a sound he had heard in the opposite direction. He remained in the shadows inside the building, moving from room to room until he found one that interested him. He slipped into the room and investigated the room first for any traps before he finally got to work. He dismantled a few traps surrounding the cabinet against the wall and cautiously pulled out a drawer filled with folders.

He pulled out the first folder and his eyes widened slightly when he noticed that it was a record of a person living in one of the cells. The record contained detailed information about that person, including the person's name, surname, current age, age when imprisoned, family history, current cell number and reason for imprisonment. It also bore miscellaneous information as well such as medical history, current caretaker etc. He felt a slight nauseous feeling rise in him when he read the reason the girl whose folder he was holding had been imprisoned: her father had once insulted the leader of the missing-nin in charge of the place.

He replaced the folder in the drawer and searched through the rest of the folders until a name finally caught his eyes: a name that was _very_ familiar to him. He quickly made a copy of the folder with a special copying jutsu the ANBU had developed for missions such as these and sealed it into a sealing scroll.

His earpiece beeped softly into his ear and he mutely listened to the code one of his team members was relaying to him: they had found evidence that the leader of Amegakure had absolutely no knowledge about the place and that the missing-nin had been operating completely on their own.

He nodded slightly to himself and ordered his team to regroup at the previously planned location. A slight smile crept onto his face as he was reminded again of the folder tucked inside the scroll.

They had finally found enough evidence for them to report back to the Hokage. The evidence the others had found had been enough reason for the Hokage to order them to thoroughly investigate the place, but he had found enough reason for the Hokage to order an assault on this place.

They had finally found the Hokage's missing son.

**_~...~_**

**A/N: **Please review! I want to hear your thoughts on this story!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Wow, I never expected such a great response to this story!Thank you so much for all your reviews and responses on this story! All your reviews, alerts and favs really made my day! Enjoy the chapter!

**Anonymous reviewer responses:**

Ninja-hime: ^_^ Thank you for the compliment! I'm really glad you like this story. Don't worry, your question will be answered soon!

ANIME25FOREVER: I'm glad you liked it! I have never liked the idea of siblings either, as I find it a bit unlikely for Minato and Kushina to take such a huge risk again. But that's just my opinion!

**Hidden Sunray**

Chapter 2

The air was quiet. An oppressive silence hung in the air, broken only by the occasional hoot of an owl or the restless shuffle of a guard's feet that clearly indicated the guard felt it was a waste of time to patrol the area. A lazy yawn broke the silence and the footsteps ceased for a few seconds before it resumed its lazy shuffle.

A dark figure paused in the shadows of a doorframe, waiting for the footsteps to grow faint as the guard moved away. The footsteps finally disappeared into the distance and the dark figure cautiously stepped out from beneath the doorframe. He surveyed the area for danger and after confirming that it was clear, he slipped away from the doorway, cautiously keeping to the shadows. The footsteps of the guard grew closer again and the figure drew into the shadows of another doorway, suppressing his chakra and masking his presence with a mild genjutsu. The steps grew even closer and the guard passed without noticing the dark figure in the doorway and disappeared into the distance again. The dark figure stepped out of the questionable safety of the doorway and moved towards the exit of the building.

He halted in another doorway again when the door leading to the outside came in sight. The door was open and another guard stood by it, attentively focusing on his surroundings. The dark figure adjusted the bear ANBU mask on his face and quickly flashed his hands through a few seals. He held the jutsu for a few seconds before slowly releasing it, seamlessly trapping the unsuspecting guard in his genjutsu. He swiftly moved out of the building and slipped into the shadows of the trees.

Bear arrived at the previously planned location and impatiently waited for the rest of his team. Panther arrived first, dropping in as stealthily as his namesake. He nodded silently to his captain, indicating that he had completed his part in the mission without any problems. They waited in silence for the rest of the team for another few minutes until Wolf also joined them. Bear shot him a questioning glance, since he was slightly out of breath, which was a bit uncharacteristic for an ANBU.

"The guard almost caught my genjutsu, so I had to strengthen it. Genjutsu isn't my strongest point," Wolf explained softly. Bear nodded, indicating that he accepted Wolf's explanation. The minutes ticked by slowly and Bear felt the concern rise in him. The last member of their team, Cat, was taking too long. He started to consider his options regarding her, but his thoughts were interrupted when Cat finally arrived. She was panting when she arrived and her torn clothes indicated that she had been in a fight.

"I was discovered," she told her captain softly. Bear swore softly and gestured his team into motion. They leapt into the trees and moved away from the place until Bear was sure they were safe (for the moment).

"Report," he ordered them, looking at each of them, his eyes lingering on Cat. She was new to the ANBU, so she was still a little inexperienced. She had joined their team only two months ago when they had lost their previous medic in a fight. While Cat was still inexperienced, she was the best choice for their team due to her excellent medical and information gathering skills. Bear turned his attention to the other members and listened to their reports without any comments. The only person with any problems had been Cat.

Bear swore inwardly. He had hoped that they could escape without being noticed, but no mission ever went the way it was supposed to, so he could not blame Cat for being discovered. Still, if those missing-nin discovered that they were from Konoha, things could get messy, especially if the missing-nin _knew_ that they held the Yondaime Hokage's son in custody. He turned his gaze to Cat's again.

"Did any of them discover where you came from?" he tersely asked her. She thought about it for a second before she answered him.

"If anybody noticed anything, it wouldn't matter anymore. Everyone who saw me is dead," she replied levelly. Bear nodded his approval of her actions. Even if she was a newbie, she never failed to clean up after her mistakes.

He looked at everyone on his team. "So everybody acquired the necessary information?" he asked his team and waited for their nods before continuing. "Then let's go. The Hokage is waiting for us." They set off towards Konoha in a sprint, taking to the trees. Bear felt the sealing scroll nestled tightly in the pocket of his ANBU vest and his thoughts returned to the information he had found. He knew that all hell would break loose for the missing-nin when the Hokage received the news. They would never know what hit them.

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Minato sat in his office chair, staring absently at the large faces on the mountainside. He didn't really notice the faces, since he was deeply lost in thought. Bear and his team had left almost a week ago and he was expecting the ANBU to be back before the week was over. He was anxious for the information they were supposed to be searching for, as it was the first lead to his son in almost five years. He hadn't told Kushina about the lead yet, as he didn't want to give her false hope and he himself was afraid that the lead was just that – false hope. He would wait until Bear came back with definite evidence before he would tell his red-haired wife. He sighed and turned his gaze in the direction of Amegakure, where he knew the building Bear and his team were investigating was supposed to be located.

A gruff voice suddenly broke him out of his thoughts. "Stop worrying about it, Minato. Bear knows what he is doing. I'm sure that he will get all the information he can." Minato turned his gaze towards the speaker: a large white-haired man with vertical red stripes on his cheeks.

"I'm not worried about that; I _know_ that Bear knows what he is doing," he told his former sensei, Jiraya of the Sannin. Jiraya merely raised his eyebrows at his former student.

"Of course," Jiraya replied, "but that doesn't change the fact that you _are_ thinking about it," he pointed out. Minato tore his gaze away and stared out of the window again.

"It's the first lead to my son in five years. I can't help but to think about it," he softly told his former sensei. Jiraya stood up from the chair he was lounging in and comfortingly placed his hand on Minato's shoulder.

"I know, Minato. I know," he softly assured his former student. Minato turned his eyes to Jiraya's again.

"What brings you here? I'm pretty sure you didn't come here to tell me to stop worrying," he asked the sannin. Jiraya's hand slipped off Minato's shoulder and a solemn expression slipped onto his face.

"As much as I'd like to stay here and wait for Bear's report, I think it's time for me to return to my duties. I've received requests from some of my agents to see them. I thought I'd let you know," he solemnly told the Hokage.

Minato nodded in acknowledgement of Jiraya's words. He knew that Jiraya's spy network couldn't come to a standstill just because of a lead that could turn out to be false.

"I see. Thank you for letting me know," he replied to Jiraya's words. Jiraya nodded in acknowledge of the thanks and turned to leave, but before he moved towards the door, he placed his hand on Minato's shoulder again.

"Don't get your hopes up too high, Minato. The chances that he is in that place are very small. It was an unconfirmed rumour, after all," he gently told Minato. Minato looked away from Jiraya and a heavy silence hung in the air. He understood the truth in Jiraya's words, but he couldn't stop hoping. Even if it wasn't definite information, it was the most information they had had since his son's disappearance, so it was only natural that he would think about it.

He sighed softly and turned his gaze to the mountain again, where his own face was staring back at him. He felt anger well up inside him. Here he was, leader and protector of the village, yet he couldn't even protect his own son. A gentle squeeze on his shoulder broke him from his thoughts. Jiraya looked at him with sympathy visible in his eyes.

"Stop worrying about it, Minato. There's nothing you can do right now," the white-haired sannin repeated gently. Minato turned his gaze away again, but his posture indicated his acceptance of Jiraya's words. Jiraya inclined his head and softly left the office, leaving Minato alone with his thoughts.

The blond Hokage sighed. Jiraya was right. He had to stop worrying about it. He sat down on his chair again and looked at the paperwork in front of him. He took the first paper and started to read it, but his thoughts kept returning to his son. He placed the paper back on his desk and stared into the distance.

'Maybe I should leave the office for a while. It might help to take my mind off matters,' he thought and stood up from his desk. He exited the room and told his assistant that he would be away from his office, before he set off towards the village.

He felt his spirits lift slightly at the familiar sights of his village. It never failed to make him feel better. He wandered around aimlessly in the village; just revelling in the sensations around him: the smells of the fresh spring-flowers blooming in the gardens, the sounds of birds singing and dogs barking and the sights of people talking happily and animatedly with one another.

He allowed himself to revel in the peaceful atmosphere surrounding the village, but a hand tapping him on the shoulder forced him back to the present. He lazily looked over his shoulder, but quickly turned around when he recognized the crimson hair of his grey-eyed wife. She looked at him with an amused twinkle in her eyes, holding a couple of packages in her arms.

"Aren't you supposed to be working, Hokage-sama?" she asked him pertly. He smiled at her words and her attitude. It was just like her: treating him like an errant Academy student instead of the Hokage. He leaned slightly closer to her and looked into her eyes.

"Oh? Are you in any position to talk, ohime-sama(1)?" he retorted back at her with an amused grin on his face. She snorted at his words and indicated towards the packages in her arms.

"Since when does a princess do her own shopping?" she asked him jokingly. He gave her a bright smile and leaned even closer until their faces were mere centimetres apart from each other. She didn't move away from him, even though he was clearly in her personal space. She merely continued to look at him with a challenging look in her eyes.

"You deny you're a princess?" he asked her, the amusement thick in his voice. She snorted at his words and gently pushed him away from her. He allowed himself to be pushed away, but the smile didn't leave his face. Kushina looked him in the eye again and her grey eyes softened slightly.

"Minato, that's very sweet of you, but you know it's not the truth. I may be your wife, but that doesn't make me a princess," she gently told him.

The smile on his face broadened even more at her words. She always managed to take his comments and throw them back at him in some way or another. He rather enjoyed her quirks, as it kept their marriage interesting. She flicked a lock of her crimson hair over her shoulder and adjusted the packages in her arms to a more comfortable position.

"Wait, let me take care of those," Minato offered, but Kushina nimbly evaded his efforts to take her packages.

"It's fine, Minato: I can manage. Thank you for the offer though," she told him and gave him a searching glance. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be at your office?" she asked him levelly, all signs of mirth absent from her voice. He broke his gaze away from hers as he was reminded of his reason for leaving the office. She had managed to make him forget about his thoughts for a small while, but, as usual, she knew him far too well for him to fool her. It was quite obvious that she knew something was bothering him.

He heard a faint shuffling sound and a cold hand gently forced him to look her in the eye again.

"Did something happen?" she asked him concernedly. He considered telling her about the lead they had found, but a sudden memory flashed across his mind: the memory when she had broken down in his arms after they had found that the very first lead had been a dead end. It wasn't a very pleasant memory for him.

He looked away from her again. He could not tell her. He wouldn't be able to take the broken look in her eyes if the lead turned out to be false again. She would convince herself that their son was there and if it turned out to be false, she would break down again in disappointment.

"Nothing happened," he quickly told her. "Nothing happened," he repeated softly. He could feel her eyes try to drill a hole through him, but he did not meet her eyes. He could not let her find out: not with a lead this imprecise.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them as she continued to stare suspiciously at him. He heard a shuffling sound when she shifted and looked at her again to see his grey-eyed wife look at him with a cold look. He felt the apprehension rise slightly in him when he read the danger signs in her attitude: an argument would be coming if he didn't resolve the situation soon.

"You're lying," she stated coldly. "But, I suppose that if you don't trust me enough to confide in me, I just have to make peace with it," she told him, the tone of her voice coldly angry.

Minato sighed inwardly. He truly loved his wife, but sometimes her mood changes were difficult to handle. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"Kushina, it's not that I don't trust you: it's just that I can't tell you right now. I promise that I will tell you eventually, but right now I cannot. Will you trust me in this?" he asked her gently, trying to stave off the impending argument. She continued to stare coldly at him for a few seconds before her eyes softened again.

"I understand. I'm sorry for doubting you," she softly apologized. He sighed in relief. He had successfully resolved the potential argument. He smiled at her and released her shoulders. He suddenly felt a presence behind him and quickly turned around to see a familiar ANBU behind him: Bear.

"Hokage-sama," Bear muttered softly to let the Hokage know of his presence. Minato excused himself from Kushina and indicated with his head to Bear to follow him. They set off towards the Hokage tower in a fast pace and arrived a short while later, where they both entered the office. Minato leaned against his desk and anxiously looked at Bear.

"Report," he tersely ordered the ANBU. Bear cleared his throat and delivered his report in a neutral tone. Minato attentively listened in silence, waiting for Bear to finish his report. They had found significant information: including (but not limited to) the identity of the leader - an Iwa missing-nin going by the name of Yamauchi Takeo(2) - and the fact that the missing-nin had been operating completely independently from Amegakure. Minato internally sighed in relief at the news that Yahiko had nothing to do with the entire affair. He respected Yahiko and almost regarded him a friend, so just the thought that he could have been involved had left a sour taste in his mouth.

"What about my son?" Minato demanded from Bear. There had been a lot of information, but nothing about his son had been said in the report.

Bear stepped forward and handed his Hokage a scroll. Minato gave Bear a suspicious glance, but wordlessly opened the scroll. He lifted an eyebrow when he noticed a folder sealed inside the scroll. It had to be the same file Bear had mentioned in his report, but Bear had never mentioned what was inside the file. He unsealed the folder and his eyes widened in surprise when he noticed the name written neatly on the folder: Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. He anxiously opened the folder and his eyes widened even more when he read the contents:

Surname: Namikaze-Uzumaki

Name: Naruto

Current age: 10

Age when imprisoned: 5

Heritage: The son of Namikaze Minato (Yondaime Hokage and The Yellow Flash) and Uzumaki Kushina (The Bloody Hanabero)

Cell number: 6-15

Reason of imprisonment: Namikaze Minato killed the brother of Yamauchi Takeo during the Third Shinobi War.

Minato clenched his fist when he read that line. His son had been living in a _prison_ because someone wanted to get back at him, The Yellow Flash, for doing his duty in war. Fury flashed across his eyes and he looked at Bear without bothering to hide the fury in his eyes.

"Well done," he levelly told the ANBU. "You and your team are excused from any shinobi duties until you receive further orders from me. Make sure that you are completely fit for duty. You are dismissed." Bear crisply saluted and left the office immediately.

Minato glanced at the folder again and felt the fury rise higher in him. He absolutely won't let this injustice go unpunished. He lifted his hand in an order and an ANBU with a tiger mask landed in front of him.

"Summon Hatake Kakashi and Hyuuga Hizashi. Tell them I need to speak with them. Now. And let Kakashi know I will NOT tolerate any tardiness," Minato ordered Tiger with cold fury in his voice. Tiger disappeared immediately and Minato turned his attention to the folder lying on his desk. He read attentively through the rest of the contents regarding his son's medical history and treatment, completely lost in the information he was taking in. He only looked up again when a knock sounded on the door.

"Enter," he curtly ordered and the door opened to reveal Hyuuga Hizashi and Hatake Kakashi. Minato absently noticed the apprehensive expression on Kakashi's face (and the fact that he was actually on time). The two jounin stood in front of the Hokage's desk and silently awaited the Yondaime's orders. Minato rested his chin on his folded fingers and glared at them, the cold fury still visible in his eyes.

"Hyuuga Hizashi and Hatake Kakashi," Minato stated. "I am assigning you an S-ranked mission. The mission details will follow in a few days. You are both excused from any shinobi duties until you receive the mission details from me, as both of you need to be in peak condition for this mission. Are there any questions?" he asked the two of them.

Kakashi nervously rubbed the back of his neck and a sheepish expression crossed onto his face.

"Not about the mission. But, uhm, are we in trouble for something?" he asked cautiously. Minato blinked at Kakashi's question. Why would he think he's in trouble? The blonde suddenly realised he was still sending out killer intent in waves. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it and suppressed his killer intent slightly. It would not do to send out killer intent towards his shinobi.

"No Kakashi, you're not in trouble. I'm not angry at you," he told the silver-haired jounin in irritation. He took a deep breath to calm down and addressed the two in front of him again. "If there are no more questions, then you are dismissed."

The two jounin bowed slightly and silently left the office, not wanting to experience the wrath of their Hokage. Minato took a message scroll and started to pen a message. He signed his name with an angry flourish at the bottom and sealed the scroll with his symbol. He lifted his hand again and Tiger softly landed in the office, waiting for orders.

"Take this message to the Avian Master and tell him to send it to the leader of Amegakure. Let him know that it is on the highest priority. You are dismissed," he told Tiger who immediately disappeared with the message. Minato stood up from his desk and exited the room.

"I'm taking the rest of the day off," he told his assistant. She opened her mouth to protest, but merely closed it again and nodded when she noticed the furious look on her Hokage's face. The entire village knew not to cross The Yellow Flash when he was really angry.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," his assistant muttered timidly and Minato left the office without any further ado. He still had to tell a certain redhead about these developments.

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Minato entered his house, hanging his hokage cloak on a coat hanger before he sank into a chair in the living room and buried his face in his hands. He was still furious at the news he had received and he knew he had to calm down before he could tell Kushina, but the fury inside him refused to calm down. Just the thought of his son locked away in that place caused the anger in him to rise again. Too many things had to happen first before he could rescue his son, but his very being chafed against the delay. He desperately wanted to see his son again, so all the necessities that needed to happen first only caused his frustration to grow.

"Minato? What are you doing here?" Minato suddenly heard a voice say. He lifted his head and saw his crimson-haired wife stare at him in surprise from the corridor. He stared back at her and sighed internally. He had hoped to calm down a bit more before he spoke to her, but clearly he had not been given that chance. She continued to stare at him until she read the signs of anger in his eyes. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Did something happen?" she asked him with suspicion in her voice. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples to relieve the slight headache that had been forming. Trust Kushina to always look at the heart of things. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again to look at her.

"We found him," he told her levelly, still trying to repress the fury that was rising again. He knew that he did not need to mention who the 'he' was, since their son was never far from Kushina's thoughts. Her arms dropped to her sides and her eyes widened to the size of saucers. He could see the emotions flash across her eyes: hope, fear, disbelief and many others all mixed into one. She continued to stare at him in shock until he realised that she wasn't breathing. He sighed softly and walked towards her, placing his hands on her biceps.

"Breathe, Kushina. It won't help anyone if you faint," he told her gently. She blinked a few times and started to breathe again. She looked at him with her heart in her eyes.

"Really? How...? When...? Where is he?" she asked him with her breath catching in her chest, as if she was afraid to hear his answer. He sighed again and gently steered her towards a chair before he told her everything. Her eyes narrowed in anger the further he got with the tale until he finally handed her the file. Her eyes widened again when she read the file and a deadly calm surrounded her when she finally closed the file.

"I see," she calmly said and turned her attention to her husband again. "When are we going?" she asked him, still completely calm.

He sighed internally. He had hoped that she would remain in the village, but he had known that she would never agree to that. She wouldn't let anything get between her and her son, especially not her husband's protective urges. A part of him was surprised that she took the news so calmly, but another part of him knew that she just _looked _calm. Her fury was definitely boiling beneath the surface.

"The moment I receive the go-ahead from Yahiko," he told her calmly. A hint of anger flashed across her eyes and she looked angrily at him.

"Why do you need to get his permission? You're the Hokage. You don't have to listen to anyone!" she declared vehemently.

Minato sighed at her response. He had expected something like that from her.

"Because, Kushina, it would spark an international incident if we take a place down that falls in his borders. It's better to do this the right way. I promise that it won't be longer than a week," he told her gently. He was somewhat surprised to realise that he had calmed down to the extent where he could reason logically again.

"A _week_? You intend to let our son stay in there for another _week_?" she demanded angrily at him. The thin layer of calmness that had hidden her fury was steadily corroding away to nothing. Minato placed his hands on her shoulders again and gave her a slight shake.

"I _know_, Kushina!" he told her loudly. "I know. I don't want him to stay in there either, but I don't have a _choice_ right now," he told her softer. Her fury diminished a bit as she listened to him and waited for him to continue. "If we do it this way, we won't be delayed by any legal necessities once we leave the village," he gently told her. She pondered his answer for a few seconds before she turned her head away.

"Fine. Do it your way. But don't take too long," she warned him and left the house, presumably to calm down in her own way. He continued to stare after her and clenched his fists.

"I won't, Kushina. Believe me, I won't," he muttered softly after her disappearing figure.

_~...end of chapter...~_

(1) Ohime-sama means princess.  
(2) Yes, Yamauchi Takeo is an OC. I like the characters in the canon too much to consider them for doing something like this, so I used an OC. Madara just irritates me (a LOT), so in this story he actually died in his fight with the Shodaime.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please remember to review, as your views on this story really matters to me! Also, please point out any grammar mistakes!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Welcome to another chapter of Hidden Sunray! As always, thank you for your support on this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

**Reviewer responses:**

To the reviewer who didn't leave a name: Thank you for pointing out to me where I can improve my writing. Seeing that I'm not writing this story (or any story on this site) in my native language, any tips on how to improve my writing are welcome. Also, regarding your comment about Kushina: I'm sorry that you didn't like my characterisation on her, but that is how I've interpreted her character. Therefore I will not change my characterisation of her.

**Edit 2011/02/07:** Editted some minor parts of the Council scene and the conversation between Kushina and Minato, seeing that** BundleofContradictions **pointed out something that I've completely forgotten about. Thanks, **BundleofContradictions**!

**Hidden Sunray**

Chapter 3

A soft mist hung over the village, signaling early dawn. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon and the birds were just starting their daily morning songs. The hour was such that most people were still in bed, excluding shinobi departing on missions or business owners opening their shops before the rush of morning traffic started.

In a house in the village, a certain blonde was readying himself for the day as well. A lot of things had to happen this day, including a very important meeting with the infamous council. Minato knew he would get grief from them, but he was adamant: they would not prevent him from going on this specific mission. However, before he could amount to anything, he needed to talk to a certain person.

Kushina leaned against the wall with her dressing gown thrown over her shoulders and a cup of coffee in her hands. She regarded her husband with neutrality as she continued to watch him get ready for the day.

"I take it you're going to talk to Sarutobi first before you take on those fools on the council," she stated levelly, taking a sip of her coffee. Minato threw her a glance over his shoulder before he turned back to the mirror where he was trying to tame the unruly mop he used for hair.

"Of course. I will need his support in this. The council's not going to take this well," he answered her, focusing more on his hair than his words. She made a soft noise of agreement in her throat and took another sip of her coffee.

"How will the clans take it?" she asked him calmly. It felt almost strange to him to see her so mellow, but he knew she wasn't normally a morning person. She needed some time before she awoke completely and became her normal cheerful self.

"I'm not really sure. Fugaku might have some problems with it, but I'm pretty sure most of them won't have any problems, although I can't be too sure. All of them are very unpredictable. Still, I think the only problem would be to get past the advisors. They won't be very impressed with my demand," he told the redhead. Kushina snorted at his words and he allowed a small smile to slip onto his face when he heard the snort.

"I can just imagine: 'You are the Hokage! You cannot allow yourself to be held up by such trivial details! Your presence in the village is much more needed!'" Kushina enacted the scene. Minato chuckled at her words and adjusted the collar of his cloak before he turned around and faced her.

"I doubt they'll say it like _that_, but that's most likely what it's going to come down to. They're not going to be willing to let me leave the village and personally lead this mission," he stated. "But they won't succeed in trying to dissuade me. I may be the Hokage, but I'm a father and shinobi as well. I _will_ get my son out of there personally," he told her with determination in his voice. Kushina's eyes softened slightly at his words and a small, but still determined smile slipped onto her face.

"Not alone, you won't. I will definitely go with you," she told him with a hint of challenge in her voice, as if she dared him to cross her. He sighed and shook his head in frustration.

"That's going to be another reason why the council will give me grief: they won't be too keen on letting you go, seeing that you _are _the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. They'll probably say something like: 'We cannot allow you to take Uzumaki Kushina out of Konoha on something like this! That's ridiculous! How do you know this isn't a trap to capture her?' They definitely won't agree to that," he assured her with disgust in his voice. She snorted at his words and looked away from him. She knew exactly what kind of grief the council would give him because of her, but Minato knew she couldn't care less.

"It's not like they'll be able to prevent me from going. I want my son back; and I will _not_ sit at home and wait for somebody else to bring him to me. I'll show them just how independent I can be," she told Minato. Minato sighed again, but still allowed a smile to slip onto his face.

"Try not to be _too_ independent: I don't want to receive grief from the council for the next couple of years. I already get enough from them as it is," he told her with a soft chuckle. She pouted slightly at his words before a smile slipped onto her face.

"Those old farts can handle it. I need to keep them on their toes lest their instincts dull by doing nothing all day," she told him with a pert tone in her voice. He laughed at her words and walked towards her.

"Still, I don't want to listen to their complaints all day. I have to go now, so I'll see you again later today. Don't cause _too_ much trouble okay?" he told her jokingly. She lifted an eyebrow at his words and looked levelly at him.

"Treating me like a child now?" she asked him with a slight edge in her voice. He smiled slightly and shook his head in wordless denial.

"Of course not. But I _know_ you. You're impatient and frustrated right now, so I think some people might receive a…visit…from you and your…hobbies. I know it's one of the only ways you get rid of your frustrations," he told her gently. She glared at him in mock anger before her eyes softened again and a smile slipped onto her face.

"Yeah, yeah, Mr Know-it-all. I already know that you know all about my methods to let off some stream. Just leave me to my own activities and go on with your own business. You won't even notice my actions," she assured him with a smile on her face. He lifted an eyebrow at her words and she lifted her fist in a threatening method, but he could read the humor in her eyes. Still, it might've had more of an effect if she hadn't forgotten that the now-empty coffee mug was still in her hand. A bright smile slipped onto his face when he saw she finally noticed the mug. She turned scarlet when she realized she threatened him with an empty coffee mug and embarrassedly lowered her hand.

"I love you," Minato assured her with a laugh. Her actions never failed to cheer him up, especially the actions she did unconsciously. She turned even more scarlet at his unexpected compliment. She should've been more used to it by now, but somehow he still managed to surprise her. She turned her attention to him again and narrowed her eyes in mock anger.

"Fine, laugh all you want. Just don't say I didn't warn you when you wake up in the morning with some new…accessories on your face. Or bald," she warned him before her eyes softened. "Now go. Don't waste any more time. The sooner you handle the council and everything that goes with it, the sooner I can see my child again," she told him with a faint hint of longing at the last sentence. His eyes softened at her tone before he walked to her and softly caressed her cheek.

"I know, Kushina. I know," he softly assured her and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. "I'll be going now," he told her with a smile and quietly left the room. He knew that she was trying to contain her impatience with trouble. He left the house and set off towards the house of the former Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. He knew the Sandaime would be awake at this hour, since habits that spanned years weren't broken easily and Sarutobi had gotten up with the birds every morning of his reign as Sandaime, a habit that had been carried over to the Yondaime.

He greeted the people who greeted him while he walked through the streets of the village. He arrived at the Sarutobi house and inhaled deeply before he softly knocked on the door. He waited for a minute or two before the door opened to reveal the Sandaime's wife. She looked at him in surprise before she fully opened the door.

"Yondaime-sama! What are you doing here? Do you want to come in?" she asked him in surprise and stood aside so that he could enter the house. Minato bowed respectfully at her before he addressed her.

"Good morning, Biwako-sama. I'm sorry to bother you this early in the morning, but I need to speak with your husband. Is he here?" he asked her respectfully. Even though he was the Hokage, he was always respectful towards her. She _was_ the previous Hokage's wife, after all. She had also been one of the midwifes that had delivered his son about ten years ago.

She smiled at him before she mentioned him inside.

"Of course Hiruzen is here: where else will he be at this hour? Please, come in and take a seat! I'll let him know you're here," she told him with a smile on her face. He accepted her offer and entered the house. He waited in the sitting room in solitude while she fetched her husband. The Sandaime finally arrived after a few minutes, his eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise to see the blonde sitting in his sitting room.

"Minato. Is there something I can help you with?" the Sandaime asked the Yondaime in surprise. Minato stood up from the chair when the Sandaime arrived and bowed slightly at him. Sarutobi waved his actions away with his hand. "You know you don't have to do that, Minato. We're equals in rank, seeing as you _are_ my successor. Now what brings you here?" he asked the blonde Hokage in front of him. Minato hesitated for a second before he finally confessed his problem.

"I don't know if you've heard about this, but we've finally found my son," he started. Sarutobi's eyes widened in surprise and his ever-present pipe fell out of his mouth.

"Really? I must say, I'm surprised. Not that I doubt your skills, but I never thought you'd find the boy again. It's been a long time, after all," he told Minato with surprise in his voice. Minato inclined his head at Sarutobi's words.

"I know. I even started to doubt it myself. However, we had finally found him, but he is not in the village, although I guess that's pretty obvious. I will need to leave the village in order to rescue him, but in order for me to do that, I will need someone to take care of affairs in the village while I'm gone. Will you be willing to do that?" Minato asked his predecessor. Sarutobi took a pull from his pipe while he contemplated his answer. A few seconds passed in silence before he spoke.

"Sure, why not? I can understand your request. I would most likely have asked the same of you had I been in your position. Don't worry; you can go rescue your son without worrying about the village. I will watch over Konoha in your absence," he assured the blonde. Minato sighed inwardly at relief at Sarutobi's assurances. The Sandaime would have been the largest threat in Minato's plans if he didn't agree. He was lucky he knew that Sarutobi valued family above anything else. That's why he had been such an amazing Hokage, since he considered the entire village a part of his family. Minato smiled gratefully at him and bowed again.

"Thank you, Hiruzen-sama. This means a lot to me," he told the Sandaime gratefully. Sarutobi waved his thanks off with his hand.

"It's not a problem, Minato. As I said, I would most likely have done the same you are planning. Tell me, what exactly do you have in mind?" he asked the blonde Hokage with curiosity in his voice. Minato hesitated for a second before he divulged his plans.

"Well, I'm planning on taking a team of handpicked shinobi to the location of the building and infiltrate the place. Once we are there, we will…"

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Minato sat in his office, working through some of the paperwork on his desk. It was almost time for the council meeting, but he still had a bit of paperwork to complete before he could leave the village in the Sandaime's capable hands. The least he could do was give a desk without paperwork to the Sandaime.

A knock sounded on the door and he looked up from his work to meet the gaze of his assistant. She bowed respectfully at him before she addressed the reason she entered the office.

"Hokage-sama, the council meeting is about to start," she told him respectfully. He thanked her for her reminder and walked towards the meeting room, his assistant following with the necessary documents. The rest of the council members were already in the room when he entered, making small talk with each other. After all, nothing could be decided by the council without the Hokage present.

Silence fell across the room when Minato entered and took his seat. Most of the council members looked at him with expectation, most likely wondering why he had called them there. He took a deep breath before he addressed the council. They talked about minor matters for a while before Minato addressed the reason he had called the meeting.

"Together with Hatake Kakashi, Hyuuga Hizashi, Namikaze-Uzumaki Kushina and the ANBU team consisting of Bear, Panther, Wolf and Cat, I will leave the village on an S-ranked mission within this week. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, has agreed to stand in for me as the reigning Hokage in my absence," he told them bluntly, not giving them the chance to disagree with his words. A stunned silence fell across the room for a second or two before chaos broke loose. It was very rare that the Hokage himself went on a mission, so just the fact that the Yondaime himself was going on a mission raised several eyebrows.

"What mission can be so important that the Hokage himself has to go?" Homura, one of the advisors, demanded from the Yondaime. Minato fixed a level stare on the elder.

"The rescue of my son," he told the elder bluntly. Amazed mutters broke out in the room at the information.

Nara Shikaku, the head of the Nara clan, showed a rare case of interest by raising an eyebrow.

"You found him?" the shadow user asked incredulously. A small hint of happiness flashed across Minato's eyes before he assumed a neutral expression again.

"I've received reliable evidence that he is currently located close to Amegakure. I have contacted the leader of Amegakure after I've learned about my son's position and the leader had agreed to send assistance," the Yondaime replied to the clan head.

More mutters sounded across the room until Uchiha Fugaku raised his hand, silently asking for permission to speak.

"Is your son really so valuable that you have to go yourself, Yondaime-sama? Your presence in the village is vital and I'm sure you can send someone else, could you not?" he asked the Hokage respectfully.

Minato fixed a level glance on the Uchiha clan head before he addressed him. "Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto is not only my son, but he is also the heir to the Namikaze _and_ Uzumaki clans. If this was _your_ son and heir, would you sit back and let someone else rescue him?" he demanded from the Uchiha. Fugaku merely shook his head, mutely accepting the Hokage's point.

"Besides, seeing as this is also a joint mission with Amegakure no Sato, it would be an insult to them if the Hokage asks them to aid in the rescue of his son without even bothering to be present," the Hokage continued.

Silence well across the room as everybody conceded his point. Koharu, another one of Sarutobi's advisors, raised her hand after a few seconds.

"I understand the necessity which drives you to attend this mission, but is it really necessary to send Uzumaki Kushina along on this mission? I can't see how it would be necessary to send her along and there are many other villages that would love to get their hands on her," the elder said respectfully. Even though she did not always agree with the Yondaime's choices, she was always respectful towards him, unlike Homura who tended to be a bit disrespectful at times.

Minato fixed his gaze on Koharu. "The person in question is more than capable of protecting herself. She is a jounin of this village, after all. Her presence is necessary on this mission for the same reasons as mine, so I cannot excuse her," he told the elder, his tone once again leaving no room for protest. A slight frown appeared on her face, but she did not make any more comments.

He turned his attention back towards Uchiha Fugaku. "In response to your statement regarding the necessity of my presence in the village: I will return within a week or two at the most and since the Sandaime will be presiding over the village, my absence will not largely influence the affairs of the village," he told the Uchiha clan head, who seemed to accept his explanation.

The Yondaime turned his gaze to the entire council again. "Is there anyone else who wants to say anything?" he asked them levelly. Nobody uttered a sound, although some of the members were looking at him with displeased expressions, especially the two advisors.

Minato looked at each of the council members in turn, before he addressed them again, apparently satisfied by their responses.

"If there is nothing else, then this meeting is adjourned," he told them with authority and stood up. Noise immediately broke out in the room when the members started talking to each other and leaving the room, no doubt discussing the events of the meeting.

Sarutobi approached Minato. "That was well done," he complimented the blonde Hokage. "You didn't give them a chance to protest."

Minato smiled slightly at his predecessor. "I had a good instructor," he told the Sandaime, who smiled at his words. After all, it had been Sarutobi who had trained Minato for the Hokage position.

Sarutobi took a pull of his pipe before he exhaled and spoke again. "I suppose you will leave before the day is over, am I right?" he asked Minato. Minato inclined his head, mutely confirming Sarutobi's guess.

"Yes, the sooner we can go the better. I don't want to leave him there for too long. Besides, Kushina is about ready to go alone. She won't wait much longer," he told the Sandaime. Sarutobi snorted lightly at Minato's words. He knew the red-haired Uzumaki well enough to know how impatient she was.

"Well then, do not let me hold you up. You have a mission to complete," he told the Yondaime and left the room. Minato smiled after the retreating Sandaime, but his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a woman's voice.

"Got to say, that was an interesting meeting," the woman said neutrally. Minato turned his gaze to the speaker, immediately recognizing the busty blond sannin. "You only made one mistake though: when you spoke of the people accompanying you, you left some one out," Tsunade told him without preamble.

Minato raised an eyebrow at her words. "Oh? And who might that be?" he asked cautiously. He had a very good suspicion that the blond woman was referring to herself. Ever since Kushina had convinced the woman to remain in the village after her losses in the war, the Slug Princess and Bloody Hanabero had been the best of friends. Kushina had also been adamant in naming the woman the godmother of her child, back when she had been pregnant.

Tsunade looked at him with a challenging look in her eyes. "Myself. Kushina told me what happened. I will not allow you to go alone. I _will_ accompany you on this mission," she told him with a challenging tone, her entire bearing daring him to refuse.

Minato raised his other eyebrow as well at her words. "Will not allow?" he asked her with an interested tone in his voice. She continued to look daringly at him.

"Yes Minato, will not allow. I will do anything in my power to stop you if you refuse to let me accompany you," she told him. He rubbed his nose bridge in exasperation and looked at her while he contemplated her threat. He could understand her desire to accompany them, since she had always been close to the boy before he had been abducted.

He fixed his gaze on hers again. "Okay," he agreed with her request. She blinked at his answer in confusion before an incredulous look settled on her face.

"Okay? Just like that? It's fine with you?" she asked him with disbelief in her voice. She had clearly expected more resistance. He allowed a slight smile to slip onto his face.

"It's not like there's anything I can say to stop you, is there?" he asked her. "Besides, your help would be welcome."

She blinked at his reply before a determined expression slipped onto her face.

"Of course you won't be able to stop me. I will accompany you and that's that. You cannot seriously expect me to remain here while you're off rescuing my godson," she told him with determination. He chuckled at her words.

"Clearly Kushina doesn't. If she wishes you to come along, then I will not stop you. I have no right to stop you then. He is just as much your family as he is mine," he told the blonde sannin. "Just meet us at the gate in three hours' time. If you're late, we will leave without you."

She snorted at his words. "Kakashi is coming as well, isn't he? In that case, I don't have to worry about being late," she said, referring jokingly to the masked jounin. Minato smiled at her reference. Everybody in the village knew about Kakashi's habit of being late for everything. Rin sometimes joked, saying that Kakashi would be later than her at their wedding.

"Don't be so sure about that. I gave him enough reason to be on time for this mission," Minato told Tsunade. He had threatened to give Kakashi a certain D-ranked mission if he dared to be even one minute late. Some kind of idiot had been curious about the amount of animals in the village and requested a mission of tallying every single animal inside the village.

Tsunade gave a snort at his words. "I'm sure," she stated amusedly. "Well then, I'll see you in three hours' time," she told the blond Hokage and left the room. Minato left the room as well, walking towards his office. He needed to complete the last arrangements before they could leave. A smile slipped onto his face in anticipation of the mission. Those missing-nin would remember once more why Konoha's Yellow Flash should never be crossed.

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Minato flashed his hands through a single handseal and touched his hand to a scroll, sealing the last of the provisions for the journey into a sealing scroll. He picked up the scroll and pocketed it in a scroll pocket on the jounin vest he was currently wearing. A slight sound in front of him caused him to look up, meeting the grey gaze of his crimson-haired wife. She was wearing her standard shinobi wear with her forehead protector firmly tied around her forehead, proudly displaying her village affiliation. She waited impatiently for him, her foot tapping slightly on the floor.

"So? Can we go yet?" she asked her blond husband impatiently. He sighed at her words before he answered her.

"We still have half an hour left before we're supposed to meet at the gate, Kushina. We have to give the others a chance to get ready as well," he told her solemnly. A faint hint of frustration flashed across her face at his words.

"Why do we need to take them with us in any way?" she demanded in frustration. He fixed a level gaze on her until she started to fidget slightly.

"Because we need them, Kushina. We cannot do this alone," he told her levelly. She looked away from him and grumbled something under her breath, but he could see that she accepted his answer, as much as it irked her. She sighed impatiently and looked away, tapping her foot in irritation for a few seconds before she turned around and left the room. Minato stared after her and shook his head. He could understand her impatience, seeing that the same impatience was present in him as well.

He took one last sweep of the house, ensuring that everything would be fine in his absence before he returned to the living room where Kushina was waiting impatiently for him.

"Right, let's go. I don't want to let him stay there any longer than absolutely necessary," Minato told his wife. A smirk crossed over her face for a split second, but she was out of the door before Minato could see anything else. He allowed a small grin to slip onto his face before he too set off towards the village gate.

They arrived at the gate after a couple of minutes. Minato felt a flash of satisfaction when he noticed that all of the members were there, but the satisfaction disappeared when he noticed they shorted one. A slight frown slipped onto his face when he noticed that the Copy Ninja was not present. He clenched his fist slightly in frustration. He wanted to leave already, but he could not leave without a certain jounin.

A soft chuckle sounded to the left of him, drawing his attention. He looked to his left and met Tsunade's gaze. She was looking at him with amusement written clearly on her face.

"Looks like he didn't take your threat seriously," she told him somewhat smugly, referring to the Copy Ninja. He opened his mouth to reply to her statement, but another voice interrupted him.

"Oh, he'll come. He'll definitely come on time. There's still five minutes left, so he's not late yet. He'll be on time," the voice assured them cryptically. Minato turned his gaze to the speaker and met his wife's twinkling gaze. He crossed his arms and looked suspiciously at her.

"You're defending him? How can you be so sure that he'll be on time?" he asked his red-haired wife. A dangerously satisfied smile slipped onto her face and her eyes twinkled smugly.

"He might not have taken your threat seriously, but he has definitely taken _my_ threat seriously," she assured her husband. "He cried like a baby," she continued gleefully. Minato lifted an eyebrow at her words.

"Exactly _what_ did you threaten him with?" he asked her, even more suspicious than before. Her smug smile grew slightly larger and she turned her gaze away from his.

"You'll see," she replied cryptically. He opened his mouth to reply to her comment, but another presence that had just arrived captured his attention: judging by the chakra signature, the new arrival was their last missing member.

Minato turned around to face the new arrival, his mouth already forming words, but the words disappeared in astonishment at the sight of the Copy nin's face. The other members of the party also drifted off into silence as they stared at him and somewhat to the left of Minato, he could hear somebody snicker. Even the normally stoic Hyuuga accompanying them had a look of astonishment on his face at the sight of the former ANBU captain. Kakashi ignored the gazes, but Minato could see that it irritated his former student.

A suspicious feeling grew in Minato's chest and he turned around again to face his wife. She was trying to suppress her laughter by holding onto her sides, but she was clearly losing the battle.

"Kushina," he sighed in exasperation. This _had_ to be what she had been talking about prior to the Copy nin's arrival. "What did you do to Kakashi's mask?" he asked her. She finally lost the battle at his words and silver laughter peals filled the air. Kakashi (who had been keeping a stoic expression on his face, but with a noticeable twitch in his visible eyebrow) glared at the Bloody Hanabero with a slightly sullen look in his eye, but his glare did nothing to suppress her mirth.

"Re-really, Kakashi...you...you," Kushina struggled to speak, but failed miserably. The twitch in Kakashi's eyebrow intensified slightly. "I have never..._never_...thought that...you...would be...so...so _desperate_ as to...wear...a _dishcloth_ when...your masks are gone!" she exclaimed and burst out laughing again. Tsunade made a snickering sound and turned her head away, trying to hide her smile beneath her hand.

The twitch in Kakashi's eyebrow gave one last violent twitch before it stilled.

"I am on time, am I not? And if you don't give me my masks back we will never be able to set off towards Amegakure in time," he told her sullenly.

She stopped laughing and a slight pout formed on her mouth. "You're no fun," she complained jokingly, but all signs of mirth disappeared from her face when she handed him his mask.

"But you're right. It's time to go," she said solemnly. Everybody immediately straightened at her words. The mission was about to start and everybody knew that failure was _not_ acceptable on this mission.

Minato gave the village one last glance before he looked at his team members for this mission. Kakashi replaced the dishcloth with his mask and Tsunade flexed her fist slightly.

"Right, let's go," Minato ordered and set off out of the village. The others all followed, all signs of mirth completely replaced with focus. They had a mission to complete.

_~...end of chapter...~_

A/N: And that's another chapter! I added the dishcloth part on a request from one of my friends, but I would really like to know what you thought about it as well! Any other thoughts are welcome as well!

Also, I want all of you to know that English is not my native language. Therefore, if you find places where the grammar is messed up or the wrong words are used, please notify me about it!

Remember to review! ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Welcome to another chapter of Hidden Sunray! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, fav'ed or alerted this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

**Hidden Sunray**

Chapter 4

The leaves on the large trees rustled gently, basking the entire area in a peaceful atmosphere. The chuunin guard stationed at the border gave a lazy yawn and lazily swept his eyes over the land. He did it more out of duty than any suspicion: ever since Konoha and Ame had formed an alliance, there had been little to no trouble at the border post positioned between the two villages.

The chuunin guard finished his survey of the land before he lazily leaned against one of the support pillars of the guardhouse, his hand nervously twitching towards his pouch. He had received a book from one of his friends as a gift and he was just itching to continue reading it. It was a book that had only been recently released, but it already received much attention: Icha Icha Paradise.

The chuunin looked nervously around him before he slipped his hand into the pouch, his fingers gingerly folding over the orange book resting innocently in his pouch. A smile slipped onto his face as he slowly pulled the book out of the pouch, eager to continue reading it.

"What are you doing?" He dropped the book in reflex when a voice suddenly sounded behind him. He froze where he stood and slowly turned around, almost afraid to see who it was. He lifted his eyes and met the scowling gaze of his captain.

He quickly snapped his heels together. "Nothing, sir!" he exclaimed respectfully. His captain turned slightly red with anger at his words.

"That's exactly the problem! You're supposed to be watching the area!" the captain yelled angrily. The chuunin straightened even more at the angry tone in the captain's voice.

"Of course, sir. I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again, sir," he apologized profusely. His apology seemed to be accepted by the captain who merely grumbled and walked away.

Another chuunin sidled up to the guard. "What a jerk," the newcomer said and jerked his thumb in the captain's position. "What's his problem anyway? It's not like something's going to happen," he continued scornfully.

The first chuunin gazed after the captain. "He's probably just stressed," he replied absently. "I've heard some kind of important people from Amegakure are coming to the border post. Maybe he's just stressed they will be displeased with his work?" he speculated.

The other chuunin snorted. "Why would _anybody_ important visit this godforsaken post? It's not like anything ever happens here," he said with his voice full of contempt.

The first chuunin opened his mouth to reply, but before a word escaped his mouth he suddenly rubbed his eyes and peered into the distance. The other chuunin also immediately came to attention and stared into the same direction.

The second chuunin whistled. "Well I'll be. Is that really who it seems to be?" he asked with a hint of awe in his voice. The first chuunin stared dumbstruck at the two figures entering the small compound of the guard post.

"It looks like that," he replied with awe. Entering the compound was two of the most important people from Amegakure: Nagato and Konan, two of the leader from the village's most trusted friends, as well as his former teammates.

The two chuunin leaned slightly over the railing, curiously watching the scene playing out below them. The captain walked over to the two S-level nin and respectfully greeted them, his entire attitude indicating his desire to please them.

"Welcome to the border post, Konan-sama and Nagato-sama. It is an honour to meet you. I am Hito Jiro, the commander of this post. May I ask what brings you here?" the captain asked the newcomers. Konan looked at her teammate for a second before she turned to the captain.

"We are here on a mission. Do not worry; we will not bother you for long. We're just waiting for the rest of our party to arrive," she replied to the captain's question. The captain bowed slightly at her words and tried to strike another conversation with her, but she dutifully ignored him.

The second of the two chuunin observing the scene below them leaned slightly closer to the first one. "What an ass. He's about ready to drop down and lick their shoes clean," he whispered softly to the first one.

"Don't talk like that: if he hears you, you're gonna be in a lot of trouble," the first one warned the second one. "Although I _am_ inclined to agree with you." The second chuunin merely grumbled at his words before he turned away and returned to his post.

The first chuunin turned his gaze back to the land he was supposed to be watching and dutifully swept his gaze across the land again. He tried to keep his boredom at bay, not wishing to appear inattentive while the two S-level nin from the village were present.

Time passed slowly and the chuunin felt his boredom grow more prominent with each hour that passed, but a sudden low whistle from his companion (who was stationed just to the opposite of him) drew his attention.

"Would you look at that," the second chuunin breathed in an awestruck voice. The first chuunin turned around and joined his companion at the railing, looking towards the spot his companion was looking at. He squinted his eyes slightly, trying to determine what impressed his companion so much.

Five figures were running across the land, seemingly headed straight to the guard post. From their attire, the chuunin could discern that they were from Konoha. The chuunin continued to stare at the small party approaching them, but he took a step backwards when he finally recognized the leader of the party: it was none other than Konohagakure no Sato's Yondaime Hokage, also known as Konoha's Yellow Flash.

The chuunin gave a low whistle underneath his breath. If his suspicions were correct and the party _was_ headed towards the guard post, then something BIG was going on.

His companion leaned closer to him again. "Do you think the party Konan-sama was talking about are _them_?" his companion asked him curiously. He continued to stare at the approaching party for a few seconds before he shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not. It's got nothing to do with us," he responded to his companion's question. His companion stared slightly incredulously at him.

"Aren't you curious about it? Even just a bit?" he asked him incredulous. The first chuunin lifted his shoulders slightly in a small shrug.

"Of course I am curious, but it's none of my business. I'd rather it stay that way too: a party consisting of some of the strongest people from both Ame and Konoha means nothing but trouble. Something is going on somewhere and from the way that party is moving, I'm willing to bet that they are _not_ coming here for a diplomatic mission," he replied bluntly. A slight pout formed on the second chuunin's face, but he turned his face away before the first one could be sure of it.

They continued to stare at the approaching party until the party finally reached the compound. Konan and Nagato were standing at the entrance, patiently waiting for the party to reach them. The two chuunin watched as the party finally arrived and were greeted by the two shinobi from Ame. A few words were exchanged between them until they finally disappeared into the compound.

The first chuunin continued to stare thoughtfully after them. The party had consisted not only out of the Yondaime Hokage, but also out of the Bloody Hanabero, the Copy nin Kakashi, the Slug Princess (all of whom were in the Bingo Book) and another person the chuunin did not know. However, it merely confirmed his suspicions: something was happening somewhere that meant nothing but trouble.

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Minato and his companions walked through the border compound, respectfully following Konan and Nagato to a more private place. Minato was somewhat surprised at their presences: he knew that Yahiko told him that he'd send assistance, but he had never thought that it would be Yahiko's teammates.

They reached a room after a few seconds and entered it. Konan activated a few seals around the room and indicated towards the Konoha nin to take a seat, doing the same herself.

"This room is completely secure: it is guarded by security and silence seals. We have often found need to discuss important matters at the border posts, so Yahiko had decided to rig secure rooms in all of the border posts," the blue-haired beauty from Ame explained to the Konoha nin.

Minato nodded in approval and leaned slightly back in his chair. It made sense to have a secure room in a border post: surprisingly many important matters were often discussed at one.

"We have heard of your mission from Yahiko; we are the assistance he sent," Nagato solemnly started the discussion.

Minato nodded at the Rinnegan bearer. "I suspected that once I saw you. However, I must say I'm surprised: I did not expect him to send the two of you," he told Nagato.

"We are in your debt from the time when you assisted us with taking over the village. You sent us assistance in the form of some of your most trusted shinobi: it would be an insult of us not to respond in the same manner," Konan interrupted them. Nagato nodded in agreement with her words before he continued.

"I understand your surprise, but it is as Konan said. Also, Yahiko had been aware of that place for some time, but he did not know the details. We had been busy reorganising the village ever since the takeover, so we did not have the time to investigate yet. However, now that you have alerted us of this matter, we cannot leave it alone anymore. That is also the reason the two of us were chosen to assist in this mission," Nagato explained to the Hokage.

Konan's eyes softened slightly as she looked at Kushina and Minato. "What he's trying to say is: you can rescue your son without worrying about anything else. We will take care of the nitty gritty details of the rest of the people in there," she told the two parents with a slight smile. Kushina's eyes softened and a small but grateful smile slipped onto her face.

"Thank you," she murmured softly to the blue-haired woman. Konan inclined her head slightly towards the redhead.

"It is the least we can do," she responded to the Bloody Hanabero before she turned her attention to Minato again. "We have already taken care of all the necessary preparations required for this mission; we are ready to depart at any time," she told him neutrally. He inclined his head towards her.

"Then please, let us not delay here. I would rather my son get out of there as soon as possible," he told the Ame pair, who both nodded at his words.

"Then let us go," Konan responded and deactivated the seals of the room. "Do not let us linger here unnecessarily." The others all got up and left the room as well, patiently waiting for Konan to deactivate the last of the security seals before the entire party set off towards the missing-nin base.

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The wind blew coldly, rustling the bare branches of the trees. Spring had broken out a while ago, but judging from the still-leafless trees in the area, it had not been a gentle winter in this area this year. Birds sat huddled against each other against the cold; their feathers slightly puffed up to accommodate for the cold.

A dark figure stood underneath the trees, quietly clenching and unclenching his fingers, trying to keep feeling in his fingers. He kept his attention fixed to the building below him, watching the place for any changes. His eyes never left the place for more than a second before he regarded it again.

His attention was drawn away from the building when an almost inaudible voice sounded from the earpiece of his wireless communicator.

"Panther, return to the rendezvous point. The Hokage has arrived and is waiting for your report," Bear's voice sounded through the earpiece. Panther relayed a quick affirmative through the communicator before he turned away from his viewpoint, slinking as stealthily into the dark forest as his namesake.

At different sides of the forest, two more persons received similar orders. Wolf withdrew into the shadows and set off toward the meeting point, his attention firmly fixed on his surroundings. Cat lingered a minute longer, keeping her attention on the scene playing out below her, before she too turned towards the predetermined meeting point.

Minato stood next to Bear, seemingly waiting patiently for the rest of the ANBU team to arrive. He was almost beside himself with impatience, but he showed no outward appearance of it. Kushina had no such restrictions and was standing beside Tsunade, impatiently tapping her foot and gazing every now and then into the forest. The rest of the party merely waited patiently, although Tsunade also had a hint of impatience in her bearing.

Minato felt a familiar presence approach them and swiftly looked into the direction of the approaching figure. The figure landed softly in front of him after a few minutes, respectfully going down on one knee in front of his Hokage.

"At ease, Panther," Minato murmured softly. Panther inclined his head where he knelt and smoothly came to his feet, joining his Hokage and ANBU captain in waiting. They waited another few minutes until the two missing ANBU members also arrived, both landing softly and respectfully going down on one knee in front of their Hokage for a second before they straightened and silently turned to their captain at the Hokage's permission.

Bear glanced at the Yondaime, mutely asking for permission to address his team. Minato nodded, giving Bear the go-ahead for addressing his team.

"Report," Bear softly ordered his team. The three ANBU looked at each other for a small instant before Panther took a step forward.

"At the western side of the building, nothing unusual happened. The guards change shifts four times a day: three hours after sunset, three hours after midnight, three hours after sunrise and three hours after midday. The time when the guards are the least attentive is during sunset and midday. It appears the guards from the shift between midday and sunset do not get along with each other, so they refuse to enter the patrol area of each other. There are six guards at a time: two guarding the entrance to the building and four patrolling the area. The four patrolling only enters the sight of the two guarding the entrance during shift changes," Panther delivered his report in a neutral voice, but Minato could hear a faint note of contempt for the guards in his voice.

Minato frowned slightly at the report. "They are the least attentive during midday and sunset? Wouldn't the guards between midnight and sunrise be less attentive?" he asked the ANBU.

Panther shook his head. "No, Hokage-sama, they are the most attentive during that time: it's almost as if they expect to be attacked during that time," Panther explained.

"It makes sense: many guards expect that nothing would happen in broad daylight. There have been a lot of guards who have made that mistake," Kakashi interrupted, relaying his experiences as a former ANBU captain. Minato nodded in acknowledgement and indicated towards the rest of the ANBU to deliver their report. Wolf inclined his head and stepped forward, ready to relay his report.

"Security had been raised at the eastern side of the building: one of the prisoners from the building tried to escape. The guards have been increased and are more attentive. Other than the escape attempt, nothing happened. The shift changes are the same as the western side, but the guards all get along, so they are constantly keeping the others in sight," Wolf levelly reported his findings.

"The southern side is currently teeming with activity: a corpse had recently been taken out of the building. The guards have been increased and are all very attentively focusing on the area: I think it must have something to do with the amount of people passing through that entrance," Cat softly delivered her report. Minato looked at each of them before he addressed the entire party again.

"From this information, I think it would be best if we entered the building from the western side during sunset, which is," Minato took a quick glance at the sun, "about one hour from now. Seeing that Bear also reported activity from the northern side, I believe it would be safe to assume the western side to be the least guarded," he told his companions.

"It could be a trap," Kakashi pointed out. "If a place is heavily guarded with one seemingly vulnerable side, that side is usually a trap," he continued.

"That is normally the case, yes, but the guards from this place do not believe they would be attacked from the outside. The true reason for their presence is keeping people inside, not preventing outsiders to enter," Panther disagreed with the former ANBU captain. "I have been observing the western side for the past three days and I have yet to see any sign of a trap," he continued.

"I agree with Panther: the guards here are not very interested in keeping people out," Bear agreed with Panther. Kakashi stared thoughtfully at Bear for a few seconds before he inclined his head in acceptance.

"So are we all agreed we'll enter from the western side?" Minato asked his party. They all nodded at his suggestion, agreeing with him. Nagato cleared his throat, drawing Minato's attention.

"We will move on our own: we need to gather more information regarding the people imprisoned in this place," Nagato said, referring to himself and Konan. Minato nodded in acceptance and turned his attention back to the rest of his party. He looked at each one in turn for any sign of hesitation before he continued.

"Bear and his team will sneak into the building and find the areas that would be best to avoid. They will also lessen some of the resistance from the inside," Minato discussed the plan before he looked at Bear, mutely asking for confirmation. Bear nodded his head in acknowledgement of the order. "Fifteen minutes after that, I will eliminate the guards at the entrance and we'll all enter. We will break up into two groups: one group will be myself and Kakashi and the other group will be the three of you," Minato said and indicated towards Kushina, Tsunade and Hizashi. "We will then split up and search the building. Whenever one of the teams has found the target, that team will contact the others through these communicators," he said and handed every person a wireless communicator. "The frequency is 94.0 Hz. Once we have found the target, the teams will merge again and we'll escape the building. We will try to exit the building on the way with the least resistance. Is everybody clear on the plan?" he asked and waited for everyone's confirmation.

"Where should we meet up again when the target has been located?" Kakashi asked.

"We will meet up at the location of the target. If it should happen that it is not possible, then the teams will move towards the exit of the building and try to meet up with the others on the way out. Should problems arise that prevents the teams from escaping together, the teams will escape separately and we will all meet here again," Minato decided, "by this time tomorrow at the latest. Are there any questions?"

The entire party shook their heads. "Then get ready. The mission will commence in 45 minutes," he declared. Everybody nodded in acknowledgement and a quiet flurry of activity surrounded the party as everyone made sure they were completely prepared. Minato watched as the party settled down beneath the trees, patiently (or impatiently, in the case of Kushina and Tsunade) waiting for the time to pass. Konan and Nagato stood slightly to the side, quietly discussing their own plan for entering the building. Kakashi lazily leaned back against a tree, softly discussing something with the ANBU team. Hizashi was talking respectfully to Tsunade, but Minato could not determine what they were discussing.

A presence softly settled down beside Minato, wordlessly occupying the space next to him. He glanced towards the presence, a small smile slipping onto his face when he recognized the crimson locks of his wife. Her entire body was tense, as if she was ready to jump up at the slightest sign to rush off towards the building. Minato could see that she wanted to start with the mission immediately, but instead she just leaned her head against his shoulder. He gently placed his arm around her shoulders, wordlessly holding her.

They were so close to seeing their son again; to hold him, to feel him in their arms again, to comfort him. Every second that passed felt like a lifetime and Minato felt like he couldn't wait anymore. Every second that passed was a second his son was forced to stay longer in that place, but it was also a second he was closer to seeing his son.

Kushina impatiently tapped her fingers against each other in her lap, also waiting for the time to pass. From her bearing, Minato could sense that the same thoughts he was experiencing were most likely flitting through her mind as well. Her fingers suddenly stopped tapping and her body tensed slightly as she stared sightlessly at her fingers. Minato looked at her with concern in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked her concernedly. She continued to look at her fingers for a second before she looked up at him with a hint of fear in her eyes. She looked at him for a few seconds before she softly bit her lip and turned her eyes to her lap again.

"That ANBU – Cat, I think – said that a corpse had recently been taken out of the building. What if...?" she asked fearfully, but her voice drifted off into silence before she could finish her question, almost as if she could not say the words. Minato tightened his arm around her shoulders, wordlessly pulling her closer to him.

"It's not. Cat would have told us if it had been him. I'm sure he'll be fine," he wordlessly assured her, but her words had installed a sense of fear in him. What if they were too late? What if they could not safe him in time? What if...? So many questions flitted through his mind, installing a sense of doubt in him, but he forced himself to ignore the questions. It would do nobody good if he faltered now. His son was in there and he would stop at nothing to get that little bundle of theirs back.

Kushina accepted his assurances and leaned against him for a few minutes before she broke the silence again.

"Do you think...he still remembers us?" she asked insecurely. "I mean, it's been five years and he had been so very young back then..." Her voice drifted into silence again at the thought. Minato didn't reply: he didn't know _how_ to reply. It was quite possible that their son didn't remember them.

"It doesn't matter: _we_ still remember him. Even if he doesn't remember us, it wouldn't matter. We'll be together again and he'll finally have the life he was supposed to have back. If he doesn't remember us, then we'll just have to make new memories with him," he finally replied after a small while. Kushina leaned against him in silence for a few seconds before a slight smile slipped onto her face and she murmured her agreement.

They sat in silence for another while, just enjoying each other's company. Minato glanced at the sky, trying to determine how much time was left: still about 30 minutes. He heard Kushina sigh beside him and he turned his attention back to her. She was staring into the distance with a wistful look on her face.

"What are you thinking of?" he softly asked her. One corner of her mouth lifted slightly in response to his question.

"It's been five years; it means he's ten now. Old enough for the Academy, if he still wishes to go. He always wanted to go to the Academy and become a ninja," she replied to his question, the wistful expression still on her face. "I guess I'm just thinking of...how things could have been; how things will turn out from now on. I'm wondering how _he_ turned out to be," she said with a sad tone in her voice. Minato tightened his arm around her shoulders again, trying to comfort her. The same thoughts had flitted numerous times through his mind, but he tried not to pay attention to it.

"No matter how he turns out to be, we'll still love him," he murmured softly. She softly hummed her agreement and snuggled deeper into his embrace.

"No matter what happens, I'll still love him. I'll always love him," she murmured. Minato leaned his head against the top of hers, just revelling in her presence. They sat in silence for the rest of the time, each one of them busy with their own thoughts.

Minato kissed the top of her head after about half an hour passed and gently separated her from him, smoothly standing up from his position on the ground. He gave her a small smile at her questioning look.

"I need to talk with Bear. It's almost time to start the mission, so you should prepare yourself as well," he explained. A focused look slipped onto her face and she stood up as well.

"Right," she agreed and gave him a quick hug before she walked over to Tsunade and Hizashi. Minato looked after her for a second with a smile on his face before he walked towards Kakashi and the ANBU team.

"Are you ready?" he asked Bear and the rest of the ANBU team. The ANBU team merely nodded at their Hokage's words. A soft beep from Bear's watch signalled that the time to commence the mission had finally arrived. The entire party tensed and looked at Minato, waiting for his orders.

"Then go. Good luck," the Yondaime ordered the ANBU team. They all saluted respectfully and quickly departed, disappearing into the shadows of the trees. Minato turned his attention back to the rest of the party, who were all standing tensely around him, waiting for orders. He looked at each one of them in turn; making sure everyone is ready for the mission.

"We'll move out when we receive word from Bear," he told the party. They all waited tensely, listening attentively to their wireless communicators. The fifteen minutes that passed before Bear contacted them felt like the longest fifteen minutes of Minato's life. The moment Bear contacted them Minato felt the excitement rise in him. There had been no problems in entering the building from the ANBU team's side, so they were safe to move out.

A small smirk slipped onto Minato's face as he mentioned the rest of the party to move out. The time for action had finally arrived and this time, he would _not_ fail his son.

_~...end of chapter...~_

A/N: I know this chapter is kind of a filler chapter, but it's still necessary. I also know that the way I handled the guards of the building is probably a bit unrealistic, but I don't have a lot of knowledge in that area, so that's the way I wanted it ^_^

Please remember to review! Even if it's not an incredibly _exciting_ chapter, your inputs are still needed!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hi everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Hidden Sunray! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope all of you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

**Please see my profile for important information regarding updates.**

**Hidden Sunray**

Chapter 5

The wan sun slowly sunk beneath the horizon, solemnly announcing the end of yet another day. A guard halted for a second in his patrol, slightly squinting into the sun, acknowledging the message the sun relayed. He stretched his arms slightly, trying to get rid of the stiffness in his arms before he continued his patrol. It was just another normal day; nothing of significance ever happened in the area. Their only real job was to keep prisoners from escaping from the building.

At the other side of the building, the guards standing watch at the entrance were more or less experiencing the same thoughts. The guards peered lazily into the distance, not really paying any attention to their surroundings. Neither of them had ever thought that their inattentiveness to their surroundings would prove to be their undoing, but neither of them had ever thought that they would have the wrong time to stand watch that day. A three-pronged kunai suddenly hit the ground between the guards. Both guards stared uncomprehendingly at the kunai, not understanding where it came from. There was a flash of yellow light just when the sun set in the horizon and the two guards fell.

Minato watched the guards fall in a heap at his feet before he signalled the rest of his party to join him. They all arrived within a second of his order and cautiously entered the building. Minato signalled the teams to split up and took the northern corridor with Kakashi while the other teams all went their own ways.

Minato and Kakashi followed the corridor for a few minutes before they stopped, after ensuring that it was safe to do so. Minato turned to Kakashi and nodded at the Copy Ninja. Kakashi nodded back at his former sensei before he gently cut his finger with a kunai, flashed his hands through some handseals and slammed his hand down on the floor, softly murmuring the name of the jutsu. A small cloud of smoke appeared and when it finally dispersed, a brown pug with a Konoha forehead protector tied over his head and beneath his chin sat on the floor in front of them.

"Hello Pakkun. Do you still remember the Hokage's son's scent?" Kakashi asked the brown pug in front of him. Pakkun looked thoughtfully at his surroundings for a second before he replied.

"That is one scent I have been unable to forget. I take it he is in here and you want me to find his scent, is that it?" the pug enquired curiously. Pakkun had always been able to figure things out quickly. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes, we have found reliable information that he is indeed in here. His scent might have changed over the years, but we want you to follow any scent that could be his. Can you do that?" he asked his summon.

Pakkun puffed himself up in slight indignance. "Of course I can do that! Who do you think I am?" he asked rhetorically and turned his attention to the ground, cautiously sniffing the floor. Minato and Kakashi kept their eyes on the little pug, waiting for him to finish his investigation.

The pug looked up after a small while and turned his attention to Kakashi.

"I cannot sense his scent from here: I can say with certainty that he has never been in this corridor. However, I can smell a scent that _could_ be his coming from that direction," the pug said and pointed towards a corridor diverging from the one they were standing in. "But the scent is very faint, so I could be wrong."

"We'll take the chance. Lead us towards it," Minato told the pug. Pakkun looked at Kakashi for confirmation and turned towards the previously mentioned corridor at his nod.

"Then follow me," the pug said and started running towards the corridor, not even bothering to see if the two shinobi were following him or not. Minato and Kakashi rushed after the pug, keeping their eyes on him. They turned a few corridors and halted when Pakkun came to an abrupt halt. The two shinobi immediately tensed, readying themselves for battle.

"What's wrong, Pakkun?" Kakashi asked his summon. The pug turned around where he stood, sniffing the air.

"The scent disappears around here. There are too many different scents coming together in this spot. I cannot follow the scent amongst this confusion of scents," the brown pug told them. Minato and Kakashi looked at each other in hopelessness before Minato took command.

He looked at the metal of the doors keeping the people inside the building prisoners, trying to determine which floor they were currently on. He still remembered his son's file stating his cell number, so if they followed the cell numbers, maybe they would be able to find the boy. A small engraving etched into the metal of one of the doors caught Minato's attention and he squinted slightly towards it, trying to determine what it was. A small '2' was engraved on the door, but Minato could not make sense of the rest of the numbers. There was one that looked something like a 3 (or a 5, it was difficult to tell) and another that was so faded it could have been anything. He turned his attention back to Kakashi and Pakkun.

"Let's try going down a couple of levels; I know he is on level 6 and according to Bear, the levels with the higher numbers were the levels lower in the building," Minato told the two of them. The two of them nodded and Pakkun set off into one of the corridors again.

"It's this way to the lower levels," he told the two shinobi. They followed the small pug again, following him deeper into the building. The pug seemed to pick up the scent again after a few minutes and increased his pace. "You were right," he told Minato. "The scent seems to grow stronger the lower we go." The two shinobi nodded in acknowledgement and still followed after the pug.

The two shinobi followed the pug for a while until the pug slowed his steps again, staring at a wall in front of him. He gingerly walked towards the wall and cautiously sniffed it before he turned his attention to his summoner.

"Well, the scent leads to this wall," Pakkun told the two shinobi. "It's not as strong as it could be, but it stops at this wall." Kakashi blinked in surprise at the pug's words and turned his attention to the wall, raising his forehead protector and opening his Sharingan eye. He scanned the wall with his Sharingan for a few seconds before he closed his eye again and slipped his forehead protector across his eye.

"It's not a genjutsu. It appears to be a plain normal wall," the Sharingan wielder told his Hokage. Minato looked thoughtfully at the wall, wondering if it could be a trap. He opened his mouth to say something to Pakkun, but a soft growl from the pug caused the words to die in his throat.

"Somebody's is coming," the pug told the two shinobi accompanying him. They both assumed battle-ready stances, readying themselves for battle. They waited in silence for a few seconds until they could hear footsteps nearing them. They all tensed up and waited for the newcomer to approach them.

A dark figure turned into the corridor, stopping when he saw them. The figure in front of them tensed up and assumed a battle-ready stance, ready to take his opponents on. Minato and Kakashi slightly adjusted their positions, ready to take the figure on.

Minato felt the fury rise in him. Who did this person think he was, trying to stop them from rescuing his son? Minato narrowed his eyes in anger and took one of his famous three pronged kunai out of his pouch. He would _not_ allow the newcomer to prevent him from rescuing his son.

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A busty blond woman, a red-haired beauty and a dark-haired man with pale eyes stood in a corridor, the blonde and the man both looking intently at the redhead. She was drawing a design in the dust on the floor between them, indicating to them what the plan was.

"Okay, so according to the information we received from Bear, we need to descent to level 6. Hizashi, can you use your Byakugan to look for signs of which level we're currently on?" the redhead asked the Hyuuga.

Hizashi nodded and activated his Byakugan, slowly scanning the area around them. Kushina felt the impatience rise in her, silently urging the Hyuuga to hurry up. A couple of seconds later Hizashi deactivated his Byakugan and turned to Kushina.

"It appears we're currently on level two, Kushina-sama. There are signs of a way down approximately 100m from our current position," he told his leader's wife. A slight frown appeared on Kushina's face at Hizashi's suffix, but it levelled out when she turned her mind to more important matters.

She nodded at Hizashi. "Lead the way," she ordered and impatiently waited for Hizashi to start moving. Hizashi gave a brief nod and moved off into the corridor, not bothering to look if the two kunoichi followed him.

They descended down the building in silence, nobody making a sound for fear of drawing unwanted attention to them. Kushina kept her attention firmly on her surroundings, silently daring the smallest thing to keep her from her child. She would _not_ be denied her son again.

Hizashi suddenly stopped and activated his Byakugan. The two kunoichi stopped behind him and kept silent, waiting for him to tell them the problem. He attentively scanned the area before he tensed up a bit and turned to the two kunoichi with him.

"We've got a problem," he stated softly. "The only way down this building is twenty meters in front of us, just around the corner. However, there are a couple of guards standing five meters away from it. Five guards. We will have to go through them to get any further," he informed them.

"Are you sure that's the only way to get down?" Kushina asked.

Hizashi gave a brief nod before answering her question. "In this side of the building, it is," he assured her.

"Then we'll take the guards out," Kushina decided. "Are the guards paying a lot of attention to their surroundings?"

Hizashi shook his head. "No, they are currently playing with cards," he assured the redhead. "Poker, if I'm reading the signs correctly."

Kushina stared at him in amazement. "_Poker_? They're playing _poker_ while they're supposed to be guarding the place?" she asked incredulously. "I knew they were unprofessional, but I never knew they were _this_ unprofessional," she said, shaking her head in contempt. "Not that it matters. This is what's going to happen," she told her two companions and quickly outlined a plan. Hizashi and Tsunade listened attentively to her, making sure they understood the plan.

"Let's go," Kushina whispered and took out a kunai. Tsunade and Hizashi both nodded and all three of them appeared to disappear into the shadows, none of them leaving any sign that they had occupied the building.

One of the torches providing light to the five guards playing poker flickered slightly before it sputtered out, sending a thin wisp of smoke into the air. One of the guards, a large bulky man with brown hair and a scar running down his cheek, glanced at the torch before swearing and placing his cards face down on the stone floor.

"Stupid torches," he muttered in irritation. "Ne'er works when ya need 'em," he complained and turned to the other guards. "I'm gonna get a new one, so I'm outta this on'," he told them and laboriously got off the floor. He walked away from the other guards with a grumble and soon disappeared down the stairs.

The other guards turned their attention back to their game, ignoring the flickering torches. Money and various other objects switched hands when the guard sitting with his back to the corridor suddenly fell onto the man sitting next to him, blood seeping out from a wound on his back. The remaining guards wasted a second by blankly looking at their felled companion, but that second proved to be their undoing when three dark figures dropped from the shadows, killing two more of the guards and holding the third one captive.

"Where is Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto?" a cold voice with a promise of death demanded from the captive. The captive shivered at the threatening voice, cold seat sliding down his face.

"N-nami-w-who?" he stammered out nervously. The kunai at his throat dug slightly into his throat, causing a few drops of blood to fall to the floor.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about," the voice hissed in his ear. "The blond blue-eyed boy who had been here for five years," the voice spat out, the kunai point digging deeper. The guard started to shiver uncontrollably.

"I-I don't know! I've only b-been here for a c-couple of m-months! I swear I d-don't know any blond kid!" the guard exclaimed, his words getting mangled by the fear in his voice.

"Are you sure about that?" the voice demanded icily from him. He stammered out a confirmation and his heart lifted slightly when he felt the kunai retreat from his neck. His relief was short-lived, however, when the kunai suddenly slit across his throat, causing blood to seep from the wound.

Kushina swiped the kunai on the dead man's shirt before twirling it once around her finger and stowing it away.

"Well _that_ was a waste of time," she muttered and turned to her companions. "Let's go before that other guard comes back," she said and moved towards the stairs, but before she managed to get far a sudden sound of objects hitting the floor alerted them all to the return of the last guard.

The guard wasted no time and flashed his hands through a couple of seals, the name of the technique flowing from his mouth. The entire floor suddenly started to rumble and spikes made of stone suddenly shot into random directions, most of them in the general direction of the party of three. They all evaded the spikes with little effort until the attack ceased and they stopped in astonishment when they laid their eyes on the guard. A single stone spike was stuck in his forehead, his eyes staring lifelessly at the three Konoha shinobi.

A stunned silence fell over them for a few seconds before Kushina broke it. "How did _that_ happen?" she asked incredulously. Tsunade cautiously approached the corpse and examined it, snorting slightly after a few seconds.

"This idiot somehow got hit by his own technique," she said, her voice heavy with contempt. "He couldn't even aim his attack correctly. It was probably the first time he ever tried the technique. Talk about an idiot," she said, shaking her head.

An ominous rumbling suddenly informed them of bigger troubles as small pieces of the ceiling landed on the floor. Larger pieces of pebbles started to fall around them until the stone ceiling above them started to groan loudly and cave inward.

"Watch out! That idiot's technique weakened the walls!" Tsunade exclaimed and jumped out of the way, pulling Kushina with her. The walls and ceiling of a certain part of the corridor finally collapsed completely, kicking up large clouds of dust. The floor rumbled a bit as stone after stone hit the floor, forcing everyone to adjust their stances so that they wouldn't lose their balance.

A stunned silence fell over the small group while they tried to regain their balance and waited for the dust to clear. Kushina absently waved the dust away from her face while she tried to peer through the heavy dust cloud to the other side of the cave-in.

"Hizashi? Are you okay?" the redhead asked with a hint of concern in her voice. She could barely see a hazy figure through the dust, vaguely resembling the Hyuuga, but the rocks between them blocked the way.

A single cough sounded from the other side of the rocks and a voice spoke out. "I am unharmed, Kushina-sama," Hizashi told Kushina. "However, I am unable to reach you."

Tsunade cocked her fist. "I'll clear the way for you," she told the Hyuuga and stepped forward, but she was stopped before she could use her superhuman strength to clear the rubble from the corridor.

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama, that would not be a good idea. The rest of the ceiling and walls of this corridor are currently very unstable. Any additional impacts will cause the entire corridor to collapse," Hizashi interrupted the sannin. "It will be safer to find an alternative route."

Tsunade pursed her lips in thought. "How long will that take?" she asked the Hyuuga. A few seconds passed in silence while Hizashi thought it over.

"I cannot say. It would be safer for you to continue onwards. I'm certain the noise caught a lot of attention, so it would be best to change our location," he told the two kunoichi.

Kushina hesitated slightly. It _would_ be safer to move away from their current location, but she was still loathe to abandon Hizashi.

The Hyuuga seemed to notice her discomfort. "Do not worry, Kushina-sama. I will be fine on my own: I am not a jounin for nothing. If I encounter any more problems, I will contact the rest of the party," he assured the kunoichi.

Kushina sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Fine, we'll do it that way. You better catch up with us," she threatened him.

"Of course, Kushina-sama," Hizashi assured the woman.

Kushina reluctantly turned around and faced Tsunade. "Let's go," she told the sannin and walked away from the rock-fall with one last gaze over her shoulder.

_You better be fine, Hizashi,_' she thought one last time before turning her mind back to the mission.

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Minato and Kakashi stared tensely at the figure in front of them, ready to attack at any time. The figure regarded them closely, standing in a stance that was defensive rather than offensive. Minato stared at the figure, a contemplating thought nagging in the back of his head.

'_His stance looks familiar,_' Minato thought while he stared at the figure. '_Almost like..._' His eyes widened when he realised whose stance the figure had assumed.

The pug standing with them suddenly gave a low grunt and sat on his haunches. "It's the Hyuuga, Hizashi," he told the shinobi and all three people relaxed at the pug's words. Hizashi stepped out of the shadows and bowed slightly to Minato.

"Hokage-sama," he greeted his Hokage respectfully. Minato sighed slightly in relief before he turned his attention to the Hyuuga.

"What are you doing here, Hizashi? Aren't you supposed to be with Kushina and Tsunade?" he asked the Hyuuga.

"We got separated from one another, Hokage-sama," Hizashi said and proceeded to tell Minato the previous events. Minato listened patiently, a resigned expression forming on his face. He sighed when Hizashi finished, slightly shaking his head.

"Minato-sensei?" Kakashi asked for clarification from his sensei. They had been companions for so long they knew how to conduct a conversation with the least amount of words. A small smile formed on Minato's face and he shrugged slightly in answer to Kakashi's question.

"Both Tsunade and Kushina have a horrible sense of direction. Whenever they are alone, they have this habit of getting hopelessly lost," he told his companions with a slightly amused face.

Kakashi frowned. "Really? I've never noticed that before," he said surprised.

Minato snorted. "You're always late for everything, so of course you wouldn't have noticed that before," he pointed out to the masked jounin and shrugged again. "Oh well, they always manage to reach their destination sometime or another, so we should just continue with the mission."

Both Hizashi and Kakashi stared at their Hokage with surprise on their faces.

"You're not worried at all?" Kakashi asked, perplexed at his former sensei's words.

Minato shrugged slightly. "Not particularly, no. Kushina and Tsunade can handle any trouble going their way and they've never gotten so hopelessly lost before that they needed help to get back," he told them. "When we hear walls collapsing one after another, we'll know they're on their way to us," he continued nonchalantly.

"I take it this isn't the first time it happened," Kakashi said. Minato shook his head.

"Nope, it happened so many times before, I kind of lost count," he replied. "Kushina and I always know where the other is, so if it really comes to that we'll go their way and help them get out," he told them and turned his attention back to the problem the wall in front of them presented, indicating to them that the matter of his wife getting lost was closed. "So what do you think is up with this wall?" he asked the shinobi (and pug) surrounding him.

Hizashi blinked. "I am not clear on what you are trying to ask, Hokage-sama," he told his leader.

Kakashi turned his attention to the Hyuuga. "We followed the target's scent to this wall," he explained to Hizashi. "However, the scent appears to stop here and I've already confirmed that this wall isn't a genjutsu."

Hizashi nodded when he understood the situation and activated his Byakugan. Minato and Kakashi patiently watched Hizashi scan the wall before Hizashi turned to them.

"There are various seals placed on the other side of this wall," Hizashi told them. "The seals are all too complicated for me to understand, but there is definitely another corridor behind this wall," he continued. "The mechanism to open the wall is..." He hesitated slightly and scanned the wall again, his eyes following a line only he could see. He deactivated his bloodline limit and walked a few steps to his right. "...right here," he said and pointed to a spot slightly below him, close to the floor.

Minato walked to the spot Hizashi indicated and sank down onto his haunches, investigating the spot. A couple of strange lines and symbols were lightly etched into the stone. He studied the seal in the stone carefully for a couple of seconds before he stood up and turned to his companions.

"It's a chakra-specific seal," he informed them. "It's designed so that only people with a specific chakra can release the seal. Almost like a bloodseal, but it works with chakra instead of blood."

Kakashi shifted his stance. "Is there a way to bypass it?" he asked the seal master. Minato looked thoughtfully at the seal, only half of his attention fixed on the silver-haired cyclops standing next to him.

"There are a couple of ways to inactivate the seal, but these kinds of seals are normally linked to other seals as well as a safety measurement. In that case, the moment the seal is tampered with the other seals will activate as well," he explained to his former student before indicating towards Hizashi. "Hizashi _did_ inform us of the other seals," he pointed out.

"So what do we do now?" Kakashi asked for all of them. Minato gave him a mischievous grin as an answer.

"We bypass it," he told the jounin. Kakashi frowned in confusion at his Hokage's words.

"But you just said..." he started to protest, but a lifted eyebrow on his leader's face caused his words to drift into silence.

"Who do you think I am? I'm not known as a seal master for nothing, you know," Minato pointed out and pulled out a scroll out of his jounin vest. "Guard my back," he ordered his companions before sitting down and unsealing the contents of the scroll: various sizes of paper and brushes as well as some inkpots. Kakashi and Hizashi immediately assumed a fighting stance, ready to defend their leader at any threat.

Minutes slowly ticked away while Minato focused on the seals he was currently making. Various lines and symbols of different sizes and shapes appeared on the four pieces of paper in front of him, symbolizing different functions of the seals. He stood up from the floor and placed the completed seals in various locations around the original seal etched in the stone.

"Be ready for anything," he warned his companions. "The seals I placed around this one ought to enable me to tamper with this one, but anything could happen, seeing that I'm not sure which seals are behind this wall," he explained. Both of his companions nodded and tensed slightly, ready to respond to anything. Pakkun gave a few steps backwards, guarding their backs from the corridor.

Minato looked at his companions and nodded, notifying them to be ready. He took a deep breath and activated his seals. The four seals surrounding the original one glowed slightly and glowing chakra lines shot out of the seals to meet with the other accompanying three seals.

The three shinobi and nindog stared apprehensively at the seals for a few seconds, waiting for the seals to settle, before Minato stepped forward again.

"Now for the more dangerous part," he murmured and sank down in front of the seal again. Cautiously, he gently added more stripes and symbols to the seals, crossing over some lines and modifying some symbols.

"Stand back," he ordered his companions again before stepping back himself and forming a single handseal. The four seals he created on the wall glowed brighter for a second before it dulled and fell off the wall. The central seal lit up briefly before it dulled and a soft rumbling sound reverberated through the air.

"What's happening?" Kakashi asked nervously, keeping his eye on the wall in front of them. Small pieces of dust and sand fell from the ceiling when the wall suddenly groaned and laboriously opened up.

"_That's_ what's happening," Minato replied smugly. "I managed to bypass the seal. Let's go," he ordered. Pakkun trotted forward and cautiously smelled the entrance before he stepped inside.

"It's safe. And the scent definitely leads this way," the pug said and started running off into the corridor. The three shinobi cautiously followed him, keeping an eye on their surroundings, not wanting to be caught off guard.

The corridor got darker the further they moved, descending deeper into the earth. The lights placed sparingly in the corridor occasionally revealed heavy steel doors, each one of them with a couple of numbers engraved in them. Minato swept his eyes over the doors, scanning the numbers.

_'Five-thirty-one, five-thirty-two...'_ he read the numbers absently before turning his attention to his companions. "We're still too high, we need to go lower down in the building," he told them. Pakkun accepted the new orders and ran in front of them, following a scent only he could smell.

They reached a set of stairs and descended down them, following the steadily declining numbers. Minato felt the excitement rise in him when the numbers finally started with '6', especially when Pakkun told them that the scent was growing stronger. Soon, he would be able to see his son again.

"It's just up ahead," the little pug said and increased his speed. The three shinobi increased their speed as well, following for about a hundred meters before the pug came to a stop and looked at the cell door in front of him. Minato felt a turmoil of emotions well up inside him when he looked at the door. Finally, after five heartbreaking years, he would soon be able to see his son again.

"Hizashi," he ordered softly. The Hyuuga immediately understood what his Hokage asked him and activated his Byakugan, scanning the cell in front of him for a few seconds before he turned to Minato.

"There is only one person in there," he said softly. "A child." Minato thanked Hizashi with a small smile before he took a deep breath and lightly placed his hand on the door. Feelings of anxiousness and trepidation welled up in him, causing his hand to shake slightly. He had been so focused on getting his son back, he had never thought about what he would find. Would his son remember him? Would the boy think he was a threat? Would his son be injured? A sudden thought caused his heart to clench a bit. What if his son was..._dying_?

A sudden hand on his forearm broke his line of thought. He looked up and saw his former student smile encouragingly at him.

"Go ahead, sensei. Don't make him wait any longer," the Copy Nin said encouragingly. Minato felt the unrest in his heart settle down at Kakashi's voice. He took a shuddering breath and unlocked the door with a small jutsu. Slowly, he opened the door and his breath caught in his chest when he lifted his eyes to the figure sitting huddled on the floor.

"Naruto," he whispered softly, more to himself than the child inside the cell, but the boy seemed to hear him nonetheless. The boy raised his head, filthy blond tresses falling like a curtain around him and parting to reveal whisker-like stripes on his cheeks. His timid cerulean eyes frightenedly drifted up towards Minato's own blue eyes, studying the man in front of him in fear. Minato felt his heart clench tightly at the figure in front of him and he stepped into the cell, trusting his companions to guard his back. He knelt slowly in front of the cowering child, longing with his entire heart to hug him, but he could see in the scared cerulean eyes that it was _not_ a good idea. Yet. Instead he just remained kneeling in front of the boy, gently looking at him.

The boy's timid eyes scaredly scanned his face for a couple of seconds before his mind finally appeared to register what was happening. He blinked a couple of times and opened his mouth, trying to say something. Minato waited patiently for the boy to speak, his heart hammering in his chest. This was the deciding moment: the moment everything depended on. He continued to stare at the child in silence, tears glinting in his eyes. The boy's own eyes suddenly filled with tears and he hesitantly reached out with his hand towards the adult.

"Daddy," he murmured longingly, his voice hoarse with disuse. Minato's willpower broke at the word and he leaned over to the boy, wrapping his son tightly in his arms. Naruto tensed up slightly for a couple of seconds before he relaxed, desperately wrapped his arms around his father and started crying. Minato felt the tears in his own eyes fall when Naruto started crying and held the boy a bit closer to him. He had been waiting for this moment for five agonizing years and this time, he would _not_ allow anything to come between him and his son.

_~...end of chapter...~_

And that's the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. ^_^

Please remember to leave a review! I really want to know what you thought about it, since this chapter included the first 'fighting' scene I have ever written!

Also, I think there could be a couple of grammatical errors in here: I didn't really get the time to properly proofread and since I won't have a lot of time for my hobbies in the future, I decided to post this chapter instead of letting you wait ^_^.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I have been completely blown away by your reviews. 48 reviews for _one_ chapter! That's more than I expected the complete story to have at this point! It's the most I've ever received, so I'm very happy that you guys enjoyed the chapter. I apologize for the late update, but I've been a little busy these last couple of months. I can't promise that the next chapter will be posted sooner though, but I will try.

This chapter is dedicated to DuHSPaZZiNGFeL, for giving me the inspiration with an absolutely amazing review to finish the chapter! Thank you!

And now, on to more important matters: the story itself.

Enjoy the chapter! ^_^

**Hidden Sunray**

Chapter 6

Kushina stared at her surroundings, her hands resting angrily on her hips. Her grey eyes looked down one corridor for a couple of seconds before she turned her eyes to another corridor, staring down it as well. The small scowl on her face intensified slightly before she turned her gaze to her companion.

"I think we're supposed to go this way," she said with a challenging hint in her voice and pointed at the corridor to her left. Tsunade frowned slightly before she too scanned the entrance of the corridors. She shook her head when she finished.

"No, we're supposed to go _this_ way," the blonde disagreed and pointed to the right. "I'm pretty sure that is what this map is showing," she said and pointed at the map in her hands. Kushina and Tsunade locked gazes for a couple of seconds when neither one of them wanted to give in to the other before Kushina's eyes softened slightly and a small smile slipped onto her face.

"Fine, let's try going your way first," she said and walked into the corridor on her right, Tsunade following her with a grin. They walked through the corridors in silence until they reached another fork in their path. Kushina blinked a couple of times and stared blankly at the fork for a few seconds before she finally responded. She grabbed a fistful of hair in her hands and held her head in frustration.

"Argh! Why is this stupid place so damn confusing, dattebane!" she exclaimed in frustration. Tsunade twisted her head slightly as she examined the map again.

"That's odd," she murmured softly. "This corridor isn't supposed to fork here," she said with a confused tone in her voice. Her words broke Kushina out of her frustration and the redhead approached Tsunade.

"Let me see," she ordered and gazed over Tsunade's shoulder at the map. They both stared at the map for a couple of seconds before Kushina broke the silence.

"Uhm, we're on the right place. See?" the redhead said and pointed with her finger at a spot on the map. Tsunade shook her head and pointed at another spot on the map.

"No Kushina, we're supposed to be here," she told her friend. "We left that spot about half an hour ago." Kushina blinked in confusion and frowned while she regarded the map.

"Are you sure? I don't remember passing that," she said and pointed at another spot on the map. Tsunade blinked in surprise and regarded the map a little closer for a couple of seconds until her eyes widened.

"You're right! We didn't pass that! It means we're still on the right track!" she declared happily, causing Kushina to snort.

"I'm seriously starting to doubt your map-reading skills, Tsunade," the redhead said with a hint of amusement in her eyes. Tsunade merely shrugged and folded the map before she took a step to the corridor on her left. Kushina threw a sceptic eye at the corridor.

"Are you sure that's the way we need to go?" she asked the sannin. Tsunade sighed heavily before she turned her eyes to Kushina.

"Yes Kushina, I'm sure. Now would you please stop doubting my leading skills and get going?" she asked with exasperation in her voice. Kushina lifted an eyebrow questioningly and opened her mouth to retort to Tsunade's question, but seemed to think better of it, shrugging noncommittally and walking towards the corridor. She stopped when she entered the corridor and stared at something. Tsunade followed after Kushina, but also came to a stop immediately after entering the corridor.

"Tsunade," Kushina said conversationally without looking at her friend. "Previously, I told you that I doubted your map reading skills. I'm sorry, I was wrong," the redhead said and met Tsunade's eyes. "They suck. In fact, they're nonexistent," she continued and gestured at the corridor to prove her point. The corridor stopped a couple of metres in front of them, blocked by a wall.

A vein popped in Tsunade's forehead and the slight scowl on her face deepened. She stared angrily at the map for a few seconds before she sighed heavily and refolded the map.

"You know what? I simply don't care anymore," she muttered darkly under her breath. Kushina smirked at her friend when she heard the mutterings, her face assuming the typical I-told-you-so look. She reached out with her hand and neatly tried to take the folded map out of Tsunade's hands.

"Then let me try: seeing that at least _I_ know where we are on the map," the redhead said, sticking out her tongue at the blonde. The scowl on Tsunade's face deepened even more, but she relinquished her grip on the map and allowed Kushina to take it. The smirk on Kushina's face broadened when she opened the map.

"Right, now let's see where we are," the redhead muttered and followed a route on the map with her finger. She studied the map for a couple of minutes before she folded it up and smiled at Tsunade.

"Right, let's go," the redhead said and led the way. Tsunade threw a sceptical eye at her friend, but followed her nonetheless.

They followed another corridor for a while, both of them silent, attend on their surroundings. They turned a corner and stopped, staring at the sight in front of them. A wall. _Another_ wall. In other words, another dead-end.

Kushina felt the anger rise in her at the sight of the wall. What were they doing wrong? The map clearly told her that she went the right way, so why was there another damn wall in her way?

"Kushina?" Tsunade enquired with a tone of amusement in her voice. Kushina turned around slowly and looked at her friend with an angelic smile on her face.

"Tsunade?" she asked sweetly. "Would you mind breaking down that wall for me?" The expression on her face turned sinister as she stood to the side to make way for Tsunade.

"Kushina, the point of a map is to lead the user away from obstacles, not to lead the user to destroy said obstacles," Tsunade tried to reason with the redhead radiating pure evilness. Kushina merely shrugged at Tsunade's words.

"I don't care," she replied indifferently and pointed at the wall. "Now break it down," she ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument. Tsunade crossed her arms beneath her generous chest and shook her head.

"Oh no, Kushina. If you want the wall to be broken down, then you will have to break it down on your own," the sannin replied. Kushina flipped a lock of her hair over her shoulder and walked closer to the wall.

"Fine," she grumbled and laid her hand on the wall, forcing chakra-guided water into the wall until the wall was completely saturated. She took a few steps back and flashed her hands through a couple of hand-seals, ending at the tiger seal. Tsunade grew pale when she noticed the last seal and jumped a couple of metres back, trying to get out of the way of the monstrous jutsu the redhead was planning on using.

_Katon: Gokakyuu no jutsu!_ A stream of fire suddenly sprouted from the redhead's mouth, crashing against the wall with a force. Tsunade shielded her face from the sudden torrent of heat, steadily cursing Kushina under her breath.

Kushina stopped the jutsu after a couple of seconds and walked to the badly cracked wall. She lifted her leg and shattered the weakened wall with a well placed, chakra-enforced kick. She turned back to Tsunade and gave her another sweet smile.

"Broken down. Now let's go," she said and turned to look at the broken wall. "Let's see what's behind this stupid wall," she continued and cautiously stepped over the rubble, disappearing into the room. Tsunade continued to swear under her breath at the recklessness of her friend, but quickly followed after the redhead. After all, what chaos would the woman cause if left to her own devices?

She stepped over the rubble and lifted her head to look up at her surroundings. She stopped moving when she noticed the narrowed eyes staring at both her and Kushina in suspicion. The owner of the eyes held a kunai in his hand, ready to move at the slightest provocation and a couple of other people dressed in the fighting wear of Iwa shinobi also stared suspiciously at them. Tsunade sighed and turned her head to Kushina while keeping her eyes on the enemy.

"Kushina? I hate you," she told the redhead. Kushina merely smiled at her words.

"Yeah yeah Tsunade, I love you too. I'll make it up to you," she told her friend before a sinister smile slipped onto her face and she cracked her knuckles. "Now let's get this party starting," she declared and jumped into action, casting the room into complete chaos.

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Kakashi and Hizashi both stared in silence at their Hokage, allowing him to be reunited with his son without any interruptions. Minato continued to hold Naruto, simply revelling in his presence. Naruto clung to his father, sobbing loudly while tears streamed down his face. Minato held his son, soothingly stroking his back in a quiet reminder that he was there.

"Shhh Naruto. It's okay, I'm here," he soothed the boy, only barely keeping his voice steady. Naruto showed no indication that he heard him, but his sobs gradually grew softer, although his grip on Minato's robe did not loosen. It was fine with Minato: he wasn't willing to let go of his son anytime soon, either.

Hizashi cleared his throat from outside the cell. "I don't mean to interrupt you, Hokage-sama, but I believe it would be best to move on, before we are interrupted by unwanted company," the Hyuuga suggested. Minato felt his body grow cold at the thought of losing his son when he had just found him. Hizashi was right. It _would_ be best to move on.

He tried to pull Naruto away from his cloak so he could look him in the eye, but Naruto's grip merely tightened at the movement. Minato sighed and stopped struggling, gently stroking the boy's back again.

"Come on, Naruto. Let's go home," he told the boy gently. Naruto's sobs halted for a second before he hesitantly nodded in his father's chest. Minato felt a smile slip onto his face at the thought. _Home_. A home that wouldn't be empty anymore. A home that would finally be complete again.

He slowly stood up from the ground, gently lifting the malnourished boy with him. He was light; _too_ light. A boy his age shouldn't be so light, but by his obvious malnourishment, it was quite understandable that the boy was so light (and short). Naruto's sobs slowly grew less when he laid his head against his father's shoulder, tired by the outbreak of emotion and tears. Minato stood still for a second, waiting for Naruto to adjust in his arms, but he quickly realised that the boy was dead-asleep in his arms. A gentle smile slipped onto his face and he gently smoothed the boy's dirty hair before activating the wireless communicator in his ear.

"This is Team Hotel to all teams. Target acquired. Meet at Point Alpha. Out," he ordered into the communicator and turned to his companions. "Let's go," he ordered and stepped out of the cell. They entered a faster pace when they exited the cell, trying to get out of the building before being interrupted.

Minato focused on the path before him, listening absently to the reports coming in through the communicator. All teams rogered his order and were allegedly on their way to the meeting point. That was, all teams except one. Kushina and Tsunade haven't answered yet.

He activated the communicator again. "Team Hotel to Team Sierra. Team Sierra, come in," he ordered with a frown on his face. He waited for a couple of minutes, concern at the two reckless kunoichi growing in him, before an answer came in.

"Team Sierra to Team Hotel. Order received. Currently in a tight spot, so cannot meet at present time," Tsunade's voice sounded over the static of the communicator. In the background, Minato could make out faint sounds of fighting. The communicator sounded in his ear again.

"In fact, back-up would be very much appreciated right now," Tsunade hurriedly informed him, her voice sounding kind of stressed. "Over." Minato tensed at her words, immediately at attention.

"Where are you right now?" he asked anxiously. "Over." There was a second of silence before Tsunade's voice sounded hesitantly.

"Truth be told, I have no idea. Your crazy idea of a wife broke down the wall somewhere and landed us in this mess," she told him truthfully. "Over." He stopped in surprise at her words before he face-palmed.

"Of course," he muttered. "They've got no sense of direction whatsoever." He closed his eyes and focused on his wife's chakra. Long ago, after the first time he noticed her tendency to get lost, he had grafted a seal onto her body to alert him where she was at all times. She had argued with him and declared that she refused to be treated like a prisoner unless he also sported the same seal, so the two of them were always aware of where the other was. Not for the first time, he was very grateful for that seal.

_There_. He opened his eyes when he fixed his wife's position in his head and activated the communicator again.

"Team Hotel to all teams. The team closest to Area 7, go assist Team Sierra in their battle. Over," he ordered and waited for response. He didn't have to wait long before he received an answer.

"Team Alpha to Team Hotel. We're currently in Area 6, so we'll be able to reach Team Sierra in a minute. Over," Nagato's voice sounded over the communicator. Minato nodded, even though he knew they would not be able to see him.

"Team Hotel to Team Alpha. I'm counting on you. Out," he replied and contacted Tsunade again. "Team Hotel to Team Sierra. Meet up at Point Alpha whenever possible. Over," he told them. There was another second of silence before Tsunade answered him.

"Team Sierra to Team Hotel. Order received. Out," she acknowledged his order. Minato turned his attention back the rest of his team.

"The sooner we get out of here, the better," he told them. "Let's go." The other two shinobi nodded and they started moving upwards, closer towards the exit. They continued moving for some time until Hizashi halted them.

"Hokage-sama," the Hyuuga started softly, "the intersections to the corridors surrounding us are all blocked by shinobi," he informed his Hokage. Minato cursed under his breath at the news. He _knew_ the mission had been too easy. He carefully shifted Naruto to his side, freeing one of his arms for fighting.

"How many?" he anxiously questioned the Hyuuga. He should have suspected a trap: they had found Naruto too easy with far too little resistance. Hizashi activated his Byakugan and focused on enemies only he could see.

"There are altogether about twenty shinobi, Hokage-sama," he answered respectfully. "Their chakra signatures are common to Iwa shinobi." Minato bit his lip softly while he devised a plan in his head. He took a deep breath before he turned to his companions.

"Alright, here is the plan. First, we need to..." He discussed the plan with them, sketching in the dust on the floor to explain the plan to his companions.

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Awasegaya Katsuki stood in the corridor along with seven other shinobi, his heart beating furiously. They were waiting for the intruders to spring their trap, but he could see that almost all of his fellow shinobi had slight fear in their eyes, just like himself. After all, it was expected of them to defeat Konoha's Yellow Flash, the Konohan Hero of the Third Shinobi War. Katsuki felt his heartbeat increase and he fought off the desire to turn around and ran away as far as he could. What was he doing? What was he doing even _thinking_ they would be able to defeat the Yellow Flash?

He swallowed heavily and wiped a little sweat away from his brow. He didn't want to do it. He _really_ didn't want to do it. Unfortunately, that was the fate of a missing-nin, especially one of his caliber. He had been only a Chuunin when he left the village to follow his sensei, so he didn't have the freedom to refuse _any_ mission from his employers. He flitted his tongue over his lips, trying to relieve the dryness, and looked at his fellow missing-nin. Judging by the looks on their faces, they were all experiencing similar thoughts.

The lookout posted at the entrance to the corridor raised his hand, signalling the approach of the enemy. Katsuki clenched his eyes shut and took a deep breath, trying to still his nerves. The moment he had been dreading had arrived.

Soft footsteps echoed in the corridor, steadily drawing closer. Katsuki focused his hearing on the footsteps, listening intently. Judging by the footsteps, their target hadn't spotted their trap yet. Slowly and seemingly nonchalantly, the footsteps drew closer to them.

A figure stepped out of the shadows, right into their trap. Katsuki barely noticed the blond hair and white jacket (sporting red flames at the hem) of their target before his fellow missing-nin rushed towards the figure. Katsuki took one last deep breath before he also rushed forward towards their target.

Their target stopped in the middle of the intersection and extended his left hand, palm showing outwards while bringing in his right hand to his side. Katsuki barely noticed that detail (_that's not the Yellow Flash's fighting style!_) before the person in front of them started his technique. The first of the attackers who had been rushing towards him fell to the ground with a resounding thud, thrown back by the sphere of chakra surrounding their target. Almost instinctively, the remaining attackers hesitated for a split second at the irregularity. Unfortunately, that split second prove to be their undoing.

The transformation on the enemy became undone, revealing a man with long black hair and white eyes. Katsuki knew enough of the noble clans of Konoha to realize that their enemy was a Hyuuga and thus, definitely not the Yellow Flash. The Hyuuga had changed his stance, flinging his right arm back into the air and his left arm forward close to the floor.

"You're in my divination range," he said softly and unleashed his attack, his fingers flying through the air and attacking the missing-nin trying to attack him. Katsuki received a couple of strikes himself, feeling his chakra being blocked off. He swore loudly, jumping back to get back out of the Hyuuga's range. The other missing-nin weren't that lucky, receiving the full brunt of the Hyuuga's strikes.

Katsuki's fellow shinobi finally scraped together enough courage to fight again and started to fight in more earnest, using ranged attacks to stay out of the Hyuuga's range. Slowly but steadily the Hyuuga was pushed back into the corridor, the missing-nin slowly getting the advantage their numbers provided them.

They pushed the Hyuuga back to a bend in the corridor, fighting all the while. The familiar rush of adrenaline filled Katsuki's veins, spurring him on to fight more viciously. The shinobi continued pushing against the Hyuuga until he suddenly disappeared.

Katsuki blinked in confusion and looked around him, trying to find the Hyuuga. A cold shiver ran down his spine when he noticed the strange, yet oddly familiar, pieces of paper with symbols written on them stuck to the walls. The seals on the walls started to glow slightly and Katsuki jumped back out of reach, just in time to see enormous hands shooting out of the walls and slamming his fellow missing-nin into the opposite wall. Tendrils of stone reached down from the ceiling and grabbed some more of his companions, pulling them up into the ceiling and suspending them by the neck and upper body. Chaos ensued as the stone tendrils increased in volume and speed, causing the missing-nin to fight more ferociously for their lives, being grossly outnumbered by the various seemingly indestructible tendrils of stone.

"Fall back!" Katsuki's commander ordered the remaining shinobi. As if released by those words, the remaining shinobi turned around and fled, trying to get away from the sentient walls. Tendrils of stone continued to follow them, pulling more shinobi into the walls and ceiling until only a handful was left. Katsuki, being the furthest away from the scene, managed to escape the chaos by turning down the left corridor and hiding in one of the empty rooms. Leaning against the door, he tried to catch his breath without giving his presence away. The panicked screams of his companions slowly decreased until a heavy silence consumed the area.

Heart beating furiously in his chest, Katsuki waited in the room for any sign that it would be safe to exit. A couple of seconds passed before he heard footsteps coming his way; footsteps he was clearly aware wasn't his companions'. The footsteps came to a stop in front of the room Katsuki was hiding in. With a deep breath, he looked cautiously out of the small barred window, praying that the shadows would hide him.

A couple of people stood with their backs to the room in a small half-circle, looking at each other. Katsuki felt his heart stop when he recognized most of the people, especially the Yellow Flash who was holding a child, covered with his signature cloak. Katsuki felt a flash of curiosity. Why would the Yellow Flash and his companions bring a child along? Wouldn't that just inhibit them from whatever they were doning? Katsuki's heart continued to hammer in his chest when the Yellow Flash and his companions didn't move, seemingly staring at something at the end of the corridor.

"I see you finally managed to find us," the Yellow Flash called out to somebody. Two figures stepped out from the shadows towards the Yellow Flash. Katsuki felt his breath catch when he recognized the newcomers as well.

He sat down on the floor, holding his breath, and prayed that he would not be found. With the new arrivals, he didn't have much hope to escape undetected. He only hoped that his end would at least be swiftly.

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Minato stared at the end of the corridor, recognizing the figures standing there, especially the familiar chakra radiating from the one. He was a little surprised that they had managed to find their way to him, but he supposed they got a little impatient and went the...direct way. In other words, breaking and crushing anything that stood in their way. He grinned a little. He had _known_ that seal had been a good idea.

"I see you finally managed to find us," he called out to them, watching them coming closer. Minato could faintly see Kushina wave off his comment, mutely acknowledging his point. Tsunade scowled at his comment, but didn't say anything.

Minato turned slightly and allowed his cloak to slide off Naruto. The boy was still lying with his head on his father's shoulder, but his eyes were drifting around, trying to take everything in. He turned his head slightly when the cloak slipped off him, trying to see what his father was looking at. The instant he noticed the two newcomers, he buried his face in Minato's shoulder again.

Kushina's breath caught in her chest when she noticed the blond head on Minato's shoulder. Eyes wide, she stared at them, trying to determine whether her eyes had deceived her or not. Minato noticed her indecision and gave her a gentle smile.

"Come here, Kushina. Don't you want to see him?" he asked her. His words had the effect of releasing a spring, causing Kushina to run towards him, stopping in front of him. Naruto whimpered softly and buried his face deeper in Minato's shoulder. Minato smiled gently at him and stroked his head.

"Hey, don't hide your face. Your mom wants to see you," he told the boy in his arms with a gentle and loving tone. Naruto tensed up slightly before he hesitantly turned his face towards Kushina, looking apprehensively at her. Kushina gave a step forward, yearning to touch her child.

"Naru-chan?" she whispered softly, hope and fear in her voice. Naruto continued staring at her until recognition lit his eyes.

"Mommy?" he asked timidly with disbelief prominent in his voice. Tears sprang in Kushina's eyes as a smile appeared on her face and she nodded. Naruto weakly lifted his head off his father's shoulder and looked at Kushina with hope in his eyes. "Mommy," he repeated and struggled, trying to get down. Minato gently placed him on the floor and helped him stand.

Kushina sank on her knees and took him into her arms, tightly embracing him. Tears streamed in equal amounts from their faces as they rejoiced in their reunion. Naruto's sobs started again as he continued to hold onto his mother with no intention of letting go. Kushina kept stroking his filthy blond hair over and over again, trying to comfort him and marvelling at the feeling of holding her son again. Minato smiled at the scene in front of him with gentle eyes, happy to have his family whole again.

Kakashi clearing his throat brought Minato back to earth again. "Sensei, we should get going," the jounin said anxiously, glancing at the empty corridors. "We don't know when reinforcements will arrive. I'm sure it would be better if we can get out of here without being delayed too much," he emphasised. Kushina lifted her head from Naruto's shoulder and stared at Kakashi with apprehension in her eyes before turning her gaze to the dark corridors surrounding him.

"Of course," she whispered. "We're not in a safe place," she whispered softly to herself and looked at Naruto again. She kissed him on his forehead before pulling back. Just like with Minato, Naruto held tighter onto Kushina, refusing to let go. "We have get out of here, sweetie. Don't you want to go home?" she asked him gently with soft eyes. He looked at her from beneath his filthy tresses before he nodded hesitantly and allowed Kushina to pull away. Minato knelt at Naruto's side and smiled at him, encouraging him that everything would be fine.

"Will you be able to hold onto my back?" he asked the boy. He could not continue holding Naruto in his arms the entire time, since he was pretty sure that they would reach a stage where he needed both of his arms. Naruto hesitated slightly before nodding and climbing clumsily on the broad back Minato offered him. Minato settled the boy's weight on his back before he stood up, making sure that Naruto was secure. He turned towards his companions, nodding at them.

"Let's go," he ordered them and turned around, ready to lead the way. His companions all nodded and surrounded him, ready to escape for once and all from the place, but everyone turned around when they heard a strange voice.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," the voice told them nonchalantly. Minato felt Naruto's grip around his neck tighten and his heartbeat rising at the voice and immediately knew that the boy's nerves were starting to run thin. Slowly, he turned around and looked into the eyes of the newcomer, immediately recognizing him. According to the picture Bear had included in his report, the person in front of them was Yamauchi Takeo, the very same missing-nin who was in charge of the building they were in and also the very same person who had kept him from his son for _five_ _years_. The person responsible for that was standing cockily at the entrance to the corridor leading to the exit, accompanied by two other missing-nin, confidently blocking the exit.

Minato felt his eyes narrow at the sight in front of him. How dare they? _How dare they?_ After everything they had done to harm him, how _could_ they try to stop him? Next to him, he could hear Kushina crack her knuckles. He allowed the anger to rise up in him, allowing it to assist him in the battle soon to come.

There would be _hell _to pay.

_~...end of chapter...~_

A/N: And that's the chapter! I hope it explains a couple of things to you, but if it didn't, then at the very least I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Please review! I think the fighting scene in this chapter flowed a bit better than the previous chapter, but that's up to you guys to decide!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Well, after a rather long time the new chapter is finally done! While I could explain to you all why I haven't updated in such a long time, I'm pretty sure you don't really care, so I'll just present you with the chapter.

Happy reading!

**Warnings:** There are two, actually.  
1. There's one Japanese word in this chapter, something one of the characters says – yume, meaning dream. It fit the scene better than the English word would have.  
2. This chapter mentions a couple of OC's. The OC's themselves will never be in the story, but their names will be mentioned as well as some of the things they said. However, as a whole, they are unimportant.

**Hidden Sunray**

Chapter 7

Minato stared at the missing-nin in front of him, his eyes blazing with anger, his fists clenched. He had _known_ it had been too easy. There had been too little opposition; too little interference. They had come so far, only to be stopped at the last stretch.

He helped Naruto down to the ground, his eyes never leaving the missing-nin in front of them, before he pulled his son close and behind his body in an attempt to shield him. He had been separated from his son for too long; he'd be _damned_ before he allowed anyone to separate them again. He knew Kushina agreed with that statement as well: he could sense the anger and determination rising from her. The last thing she wanted was to be stopped so close to success.

"What makes you think you can stop us?" Kushina asked softly, her voice filled with venom. Yamauchi raised an eyebrow at her question.

"You are trying to remove something that's in my possession from here. Do you honestly think that I will allow you to do that, thieves?"

Something in his possession? _Something in his possession?! _They saw his son as a _possession, _a _thing_? They _dared_ turn his son into an _object_?

Raw, untamed fury rose in Minato's chest. That was it; they had gone _one_ step too far. Of course, they had already gone too far just by taking his son, but Yamauchi's words awoke something in Minato he normally tried to suppress as much as possible: pure, unaltered bloodlust.

Yamauchi Takeo and everyone involved with him were going to be _destroyed_.

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Naruto held onto his daddy's (_no, _dad_, Yumi-chan said he's a big boy and big boys don't say _daddy) clothes, staring at the strange men in front of them with wide eyes. He didn't understand what was going on, but he _did_ know that he didn't like it. He didn't like the way the strange men talked to his mom and dad - it made him feel...scared, unsafe. He had often heard people talk like that when he had been trapped in the dark, and those people usually caused someone to be hurt when they talked that way. It really scared him. He also _really_ didn't like the way the air felt like: it felt like something heavy was pushing on him, suffocating him. He didn't think he could stand it much longer.

And the people were scary. The guy talking to his dad had a very scary expression on his face, and the guy with the red eye and the silver hair standing next to his dad didn't look very reassuring either. Even his mom and dad looked almost scary.

Naruto shivered. He was starting to feel dizzy from the strange way the air was pushing on him. He. Didn't. Like. It. Why were they still there? Didn't his dad say that they were going home? What was going on?

The hand holding him behind his dad shifted and pushed him slightly towards the scary silver-haired man. Naruto looked at his dad in confusion. Why was he being pushed towards the scary man? He didn't want to go to the scary man with the red eye. He wanted to go home!

"Kakashi...don't let him see this," his dad said and gave him a gentle shove towards the silver-haired man. Naruto grasped at his dad's cloak, but his hand grasped nothing but air. A gloved hand folded around his hand and brought his hand closer to his body. The scary man behind him placed his other hand on Naruto's shoulders and turned him around.

Naruto's head jerked up at the motion as he stared at the masked man in fear. He didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit. He hadn't been with his dad for a very long time and now the scary man wanted to take him away from his dad?

He wouldn't allow it.

Naruto struggled in the man's hold, punching and kicking him with everything he had, but the man didn't let him go. Instead the man pulled him even closer to his body, the arm thrown across his shoulders keeping him firmly in place. In one last desperate attempt to escape, Naruto lifted his knee, kicking the man as hard as he could between the legs.

The pressure across Naruto's shoulders decreased for just a second, but a second was all Naruto needed. He turned around, his eyes searching eagerly for his dad.

He froze when something warm and wet suddenly landed on his cheek, causing him to blink in surprise. Hesitantly, he raised his hand to his cheek and wiped the wet _something_ off, looking at his hand when he finished. His eyes widened in horror when he saw the red coating his hand. Blood. If there was one thing he had learned to recognise in that place, it was blood. Blood was bad. Blood meant someone was hurt, or maybe even dead.

Warm arms suddenly surrounded him, blocking his sight and pressing him against clothes that smelled slightly bitter and dusty. The smells made him feel less scared: it reminded him of...of home?

Something small pressed against his neck and darkness took him.

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Minato stood in the middle of a circle formed by dead missing-nin and three-pronged kunai. Yamauchi was suspended in the air in front of Minato, gasping for breath as Minato's hand gripped his throat, blocking his airway. His hands grasped Minato's arm desperately, trying to escape, but Minato held firm.

"You seem to have forgotten what I'm capable of," Minato stated, his tone deadly. Yamauchi glared at the legendary shinobi, his eyes filled with hatred. Almost negligently, Minato expelled chakra from his tenketsu, dispelling the genjutsu that had started to form around him. Yamauchi struggled in Minato's grip, trying to lower the pressure across his throat, but Minato held firm.

"You have cursed the world with your presence for far too long. For too long have you sown havoc and misery. I will be doing the world a favour by killing you," Minato declared, his hand starting to clench tighter around Yamauchi's throat. Yamauchi focused chakra to his hands, trying to force Minato to let him go by burning his arm, but his efforts were worthless. He struggled a bit more before stopping, glaring at Minato. A mocking smirk slid onto his face as he started chuckling.

"You think I'm responsible for all this?" Yamauchi asked, the smirk still firmly locked in place. The smirk slipped off his face and Yamauchi's eyes narrowed sinisterly. "I think you should look a bit closer to home before you accuse me of that," he continued, his tone filled with malice. Minato's eyes narrowed and the hand around Yamauchi's throat tightened.

"What do you mean by that? What exactly are you insinuating?" Minato asked, his tone cold. A smirk slipped onto Yamauchi's face at the question.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he challenged and bit down on something in his mouth, going slack almost immediately after as the poison started to work. Minato swore and jerked his hand away, leaving the missing-nin to fall limply to the floor.

"Tsunade!" Minato ordered angrily. Tsunade appeared beside the missing-nin, her hand already glowing with chakra as she extracted the poison from Yamauchi's mouth. Years of working as a field medic-nin allowed her to know what Minato had wanted her to do before he had even spoken. Slowly but steadily, Tsunade extracted the poison before tying Yamauchi up and nodding at Minato. Minato nodded back and turned his attention to the rest of the party. His eyes landed on Kakashi, who was holding an unconscious Naruto in his arms. Almost immediately, he stood next to Kakashi, worry and anger in his eyes.

"What happened? Why is he unconscious?" Minato asked worriedly, taking his son from Kakashi. Kakashi relinquished the boy to his father before smiling sheepishly at his sensei.

"Sorry. I had to knock him out," he explained sheepishly. Minato's killer intent spiked for a second at Kakashi's words.

"You had to knock him out? Why?" Minato asked coldly. Kakashi merely pointed towards the bloody scene in front of them, where the bloody and most definitely dead missing-nin were still lying on the floor, one with his carotid arteries slit and the other with a deep gash on his chest.

"So he didn't see that," Kakashi explained. "Your son is rather devious: he managed to escape my hold and came very close to seeing that. I decided to prevent that from occurring again by knocking him out," he finished. Kushina raised an eyebrow and stared incredulously at Kakashi.

"He escaped your hold? Kakashi, you were an ANBU captain. Are you trying to say you couldn't hold onto a small, undertrained ten-year-old boy?" Kushina asked, her tone disbelieving. Kakashi allowed a hurt expression to slip onto his face.

"He fights dirty," Kakashi protested. Kushina merely snorted at his excuse.

"He fights dirty? Of course he's going to fight dirty, he's my son! Besides, shouldn't you be used to –" A loud crash behind them caused Kushina to stop midsentence and the entire party turned around, trying to discern the source of the noise.

"Kakashi!" Minato ordered sharply, causing Kakashi to disappear around the corner where the noise sounded from. A few tense, guarded seconds later they heard a yelp and another crash before Kakashi appeared, dragging a shaking and terrified teen with him. The teen followed him reluctantly, an expression of terror and despair on his face.

Minato studied the teen, suspicious at his presence. The teen looked nondescript, but the scratched Iwa hitai-ate on his forehead was enough to put Minato on guard, ready to move at the slightest provocation. Minato handed Naruto to the person standing closest to him, Hizashi, before fixing his entire focus on the teen in front of them.

"Speak: who are you and what are you doing here?" Minato demanded. The terror on the teen's face grew more pronounced at the question.

"A-awas-s-segaya K-k-katsuki," the teen stammered out nervously. "Please don't kill me," he pleaded desperately, tears of terror running down his face. "P-please, I'll do anything you want me to, just don't kill me." Minato narrowed his eyes at the teen's request.

"Well then, Awasegaya Katsuki, if you don't want me to kill you, why don't you tell me what you're doing here." It was clearly not a request. The teen fidgeted before answering.

"I was just...just..." Katsuki stammered, seemingly unable to get the words out. Minato raised an eyebrow and increased his killer intent a small bit, trying to frighten the teen out of his nerves.

"...Idon'twannadie! Please, my commander said we had to attack you but I don't wanna die so I ran away when the fighting started! I-I tried to hide in that room and wait 'til you left before running away from here but then I noticed the exploding tags on the walls of the room and I didn't want to accidently activate any of them so I tried to slip away from there but I tripped over something and fell against boxes which fell and caused the crash which caused-" Minato's raised hand immediately stopped the teen from continuing.

"Hold it there. Exploding tags? Explain," Minato ordered, his mind focusing on the only important piece of information in the teen's words. The teen nodded and continued, encouraged by the fact that he hadn't been killed yet.

"The entire room over there is covered with exploding tags..."

Minato looked at Hizashi, asking him to investigate. The Hyuuga activated his Byukugan and scanned their surroundings, a slight frown growing on his face. His eyes widened and he turned towards Minato with anxiety in his entire bearing.

"It's a trap! All of the rooms in range of my Byukugan are covered by explosion seals! They're glowing!" Hizashi warned urgently just before the sounds of explosions reached them. Ordered chaos ensured at the sounds as they tried to escape the building before it completely exploded, but they were halted in their tracks when the corridor in front of them, the only corridor leading to the closest exit, exploded and collapsed. They would never be able to reach the other exits in time. In a last, desperate attempt to protect his family and comrades, Minato flashed his hands through a series of handseals. From the corner of his eye, he could see Kushina starting to glow with a slight reddish glow as she released her chakra, seemingly having the same idea he had.

The corridor exploded around them and the entire building collapsed into dust.

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Dust filled the air. The silence surrounding the area was almost deafening, especially after the cacophony of sounds that had been prevalent only seconds prior. The air in front of Minato was hazy with dust, but he could still vaguely see the other members of his party.

"Is anyone hurt?" Minato asked concernedly, waving his hand in front of his face in an attempt to clear the dust. The other members of the party all affirmed their well-being one by one, except for Kushina who was busy swearing loudly.

"Kushina? You okay?" Minato asked, his voice heavy with concern. He heard her take a deep breath before she started coughing, probably due to the dusty air.

"Kushina!"

"Stay there! Just stay there. I'm fine...well, except for my leg, but it -" Kushina's words caused Minato to move to her side and interrupting her.

"Your leg? You hurt it? Where?" Minato asked worriedly, causing Kushina to sigh dejectedly.

"It's fine, Minato. A rock bounced against it, but it's almost healed anyway...I'm fine, really," she reassured him. "Instead of worrying about me, can't you rather do something to clear the air a bit? The dust makes it a bit difficult to breathe," she requested. Minato blinked at her request before flashing his hands through the handseals of a mild fuuton jutsu, blowing the dust away and causing his vision to clear.

Kushina was sitting on the ground, her left hand pressing against her left leg, stemming the flow of blood that was seeping sluggishly through her fingers. Minato could see the wound steaming through her fingers as the Kyuubi's chakra steadily healed the wound. The chains that were characteristic of Kushina's chakra exited from her body, spanning upwards.

Minato blinked in surprise at the sight and followed the path of the chains upwards, his eyes meeting the impressive lattice of chains criss-crossing over their heads that made up the dome they were standing beneath. He glanced around him, looking at the other members of his party who were all in various stages of standing up. Naruto was still unconscious, but didn't appear to be hurt, causing Minato to sigh in relief.

His eyes fell on Yamauchi and the strange teen - Awasegaya - they had found in the corridor. Both were unconscious, the teen apparently hit in the head by one of the numerous rocks that had fell during the explosion. Minato nodded in satisfaction. No one important had gotten injured too badly.

"Right. Let's get out of here," he stated and turned his attention back to Kushina. The wound on her leg was no longer bleeding, being scabbed over, but it still looked rather painful. He started gesturing at Tsunade, but Kushina stopped him.

"Don't - let's just get out of here. If it still hurts by the time we get home I will ask her to look at it, but right now I just want to go home," she told him. Minato lifted an eyebrow at her request.

"It won't take her that long to heal it," he told her. "If she heals it now it won't impede you on the way home." Kushina glared at him at his statement.

"But it _will_ cause us to take longer to leave this godforsaken place," she argued, her tone angry. Minato fixed her with a flat stare at her argument.

"It's taking us longer to argue right now than it will take her to heal the wound," he pointed out. "Just let her heal it."

Kushina glared at him at his statement, trying to get him to back down, but he held firm. After a couple of seconds, Kushina closed her eyes and sighed, acquiescing to his wishes.

"Fine; if it'll make you happy," she stated. Minato gave her a tight smile before gesturing Tsunade over towards them.

She approached them and crouched beside the injured redhead, focusing her chakra and directing the healing energy into the wound. The innate healing factor the Kyuubi provided Kushina with sped up with the additional chakra, closing the wound completely. Tsunade inspected Kushina's leg one last time before she nodded, satisfied with the results.

"There you go. Now let's get out of here," Tsunade stated and stood up, reaching out her hand to help Kushina get up. Kushina nodded, agreeing with Tsunade's statement before grabbing the offered hand and pulling herself up, gingerly testing her no-longer injured leg by slowly putting more weight on it. She nodded to herself, apparently satisfied with the results. She thanked the sannin before turning back to Minato.

"Satisfied?" Kushina asked dryly, raising an eyebrow at her husband, daring him to refute her.

"Much better," he agreed and threw a look at the dome of chains over their heads, turning his attention to more important matters. "Is it safe to lower that thing?" Minato asked. Kushina concentrated a bit on her chakra and the chains before nodding in satisfaction.

"As safe as it can be," she replied and started disengaging her chains. Gaps started appearing in the lattice, causing some sand to fall in and allowing the sunlight to shine on them. The gaps gradually grew larger until the chains completely retracted into Kushina's body.

Minato looked upwards, staring at the rock surrounding them. Kushina followed his eyes before pursing her lips and walking towards Naruto and gently picking up the unconscious boy. She moved towards one of the numerous rocks surrounding them and jumped on it, standing proudly on top of the rock before turning to the rest of her comrades.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired of this dump of a place and I want to take my son home. So are you coming or not?"

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The air was funny. It was warm against his back, but cool against his face and it smelt like...like...he didn't know. The smell tugged on his mind, asking to be identified and it smelt like...he should _know_ what, but he _didn't_. He didn't know what it smelt like, but he did know that he _should_ know...

Naruto scrunched his nose in confusion and opened his eyes, immediately closing them again when they hurt from the brightness. He made a small protesting noise in the back of his throat and the wind suddenly stopped, the warm surface beneath him shifting slightly.

"Naruto?" Naruto? Someone was talking to him? It wasn't Yumi-chan or Kai-kun or...

His eyes flew open again when he identified the voice as an adult's, but immediately closed again when the brightness attacked him again. A yelp escaped his throat before he could suppress it and the surface beneath him shifted even more.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" Naruto opened his eyes very slowly, trying to block the brightness out. His eyes met a pair of concerned blue eyes framed by longish yellow hair.

Naruto stared at the face, his mind already identifying the man as 'Dad'. He remembered being wrapped in his dad's arms and crying into his dad's red-and-white cloak and being held tightly...but that was just another dream, wasn't it? And if that was a dream, then this would also have to be a dream, right?

"Yume..." Naruto muttered softly. His dad blinked and raised an eyebrow, a slightly confused expression on his face.

"Yume?" The word hung in the air between them, trapped between their gazes, until it was broken by another voice.

"Naruto!" Naruto turn his head in the direction the voice came from and stared at the red-haired woman (_Mom_) that was looking concernedly at him. He blinked in confusion before looking back at his dad who was still staring concernedly at him.

"Not a dream?" Naruto asked, the entire setting feeling unreal to him. Both of his parents blinked at his statement before rich laughter suddenly filled the air around them.

Naruto stared at his mother, drinking up the sound of her laughter. Her head was thrown back and her eyes closed as she laughed. Her laughter faded away to a gentle smile on her face as she gazed at Naruto with love and happiness in her eyes. She took his head gently in her hands and placed a soft kiss on the top of his head.

"No sweetheart, it's not a dream. We really are here and we really are on our way back home," she reassured him, her voice still amused. "I know it seems like a dream - heck, it feels like a dream to me and I _know_ it's real but it just feels so -"

"Home?" Naruto interrupted her, focusing on the one word in her words that stood out. His mother blinked at the word before her face softened again. She stroked his hair gently, the motion soothing and relaxing him.

"Yes sweetie, home. You know, our house in Konoha," she confirmed. Naruto frowned slightly at the word, his expression thoughtful.

"Home," he murmured. Yumi-chan had always talked about home: eating fresh-baked cookies in the kitchen, climbing trees in the backyard, talking to family in the living room, and all the other things he always tried to imagine but _couldn't_ because he couldn't remember 'home' himself. 'Home' was a word that had only belonged to Yumi-chan, because he couldn't remember 'home' and Kai-kun had declared that 'home' and 'family' went hand in hand and since he hated his family he didn't have a home, only a house he once lived at...which made no sense at all because how could you hate your family?

"Naruto? Are you okay?" Naruto looked up at the words, meeting his mom's concerned eyes.

"What is 'home' like?" Naruto asked his mom curiously. Her eyes grew misty at the question and a sad smile slipped onto her face.

"Oh Naruto," she started softly and gently pressed his cheek against her chest. "'Home' is the most amazing place there is. It is a place filled with love and comfort and all those small little things that make you happy that you never realise you have until they're gone."

Naruto kept silent, thinking about his mother's words. The way she described 'home' was different from how Yumi-chan had always described it, especially that part about things making you happy being gone, but even so, his mom's version of 'home' sounded...nice.

"...sounds nice," he whispered softly. Of course, it was only a dream, so obviously it would sound nice, but he was going to enjoy it for as long as the dream lasted. Well, unless the dream was actually a nightmare and not a dream but dreams where his parents were with him had never turned into nightmares before so why would this one? The dream he was having at the moment was much clearer than his dreams normally were, but there was no way it wasn't a dream. Dreams didn't come true in the real world, no matter how hard you tried. The current dream was wonderful, but even it would eventually come to an end and he would wake up again in the dark, just like all the previous times he had had similar dreams.

It would end: no matter _how_ much he wished for it to continue.

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Minato watched Kushina talk and stroke Naruto's hair with a sad smile on his face. It saddened - and angered - him that his son didn't know what it was like to have a home, even though he had had a loving home waiting for him in Konoha; a home that had been completely desolate without the bundle of energy that was his son that had used to fill the house with his presence. It had broken his heart when he heard Kushina assuring the boy that 'no, it wasn't a dream and yes, it was real, they were really there'. How many times must Naruto have dreamt about them, waking up to darkness and loneliness and the knowledge that _they were not there_? How many times must his son had reached out to phantoms in exactly the same way he had reached out to _him_ when he finally found the boy?

It wasn't fair: _no_ child should've been exposed to those kinds of experiences, much less _his son_. His child was supposed to grow up in happiness and love, surrounded by people who loved and cherished him; not surrounded by darkness and whatever else happened in that dark, dank _prison_. Children were supposed to be kept ignorant of the world's cruelty for as long as possible and yet, Naruto and the rest of the children in that place had had their innocence ripped away from them far too early in life.

The weight in his arms grew heavier as Naruto gradually relaxed, falling asleep with his head on Kushina's chest. Minato gently handed him to Kushina, moving him gently and softly to prevent him from waking up. The boy was actually a bit too large to carry in that manner, despite the fact that he was very small for his age (no doubt due to malnutrition, which was another thing that angered Minato), but it didn't appear to deter Kushina in the slightest. She smiled lovingly at the sleeping boy before shifting him to a more comfortable position, channelling chakra to her arms in order to support his weight.

The party set off again the moment Kushina signalled her readiness. They had separated from the team from Amegakure at the border a couple of hours earlier, where the Ame team had immediately set off towards Ame, intent on solving the new problems that had arisen from the entire mission, along with the ANBU team that had accompanied them. Minato had offered the services of Bear and his team to sort out the mess they left Amegakure with, including (but not limited to) the care of the few other children they had managed to rescue before the building had collapsed as a show of gratitude to their assistance. All that was left for Minato and his team to do was to return to Konoha with the objective of their mission: the boy sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms. As Hokage, he _was_ going to be very busy the following couple of months – interrogating Yamauchi and investigating any possible traitors in the village, which was something he didn't look forward to, to not even _mention_ the paperwork it would involve - , but he was also going to busy being a _father_. For the first time in five years, he was finally going to be able to be with his son. More than ever, his son needed him and he would _not_ allow anything to stand in his way of being the father his child needed. Sure, there _were_ going to be difficulties, but they were finally going to be able to sort it out, as a family.

Together.

_~…end of chapter…~_

**A/N:** There, another chapter done. This chapter gave me loads of trouble, but there were a couple of parts I really enjoyed writing. So please, any comments would really be welcome! ESPECIALLY true constructive criticism, as one of the reasons I stopped writing was because I actually started to hate my own writing style for a while.

Also, I have a question regarding my use of adjectives. It has been pointed out to me before that my use of adverbs in front of a word instead of after that word is "at times irritating". Now my question: is that true? Is my use of adverbs in this manner irritating you? Please answer my question as I simply don't know anymore what is correct and what's not and I AM trying to improve my writing.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **And so, after another long hiatus, I can finally present to you the next chapter of Hidden Sunray. I _am_ sorry that I take so long to update, especially as (according to the stats) over 400 people are waiting for an update, which is actually really amazing. Thing is, I'm a terrible planner, so I get stuck on writer's block so often it's not even funny and when I've _finally_ written something, I usually dislike it so much that I just scrap the entire thing. I'm finally happy with this chapter, so without further ado, I give you the chapter.

**Warnings:** Fluff. Lots and lots of fluff. Oh, and some angst. Also, something I think I should mention: dream scenes. I know a lot of people don't actually _read_ dream scenes in stories (they just scan through it or skip it completely) - I confess, I sometimes do that too. But in this story the dream scenes are extremely important, so don't skip them!

Another thing; a couple of people have mentioned that I don't indicate thoughts clearly enough, so I thought I should point out that it is supposed to be that way. In this story, a specific scene will always be from only one person's POV. In other words, the way a scene plays off is how the specific character experiences it, not how it necessarily _is_. This is especially important in the Naruto POV's – those scenes _are_ going to be disjointed, as it's a way to show how removed from reality Naruto is.

Now, enough from my side. Enjoy the chapter!

**Hidden Sunray**

Chapter 8

_It is the same: the same quiet, the same corridor, the same uneasy feeling of _wrongness_. It is the same feeling of reasonless fear and anxiousness that surrounds him, threatening to engulf him completely as he follows the same preordained path down the long, endless corridor, opening and closing the constant, never-ending supply of mahogany doors. _

_It is the same, but different. Something - he can't quite pinpoint what, but it's there - is different, deviating from the pattern that never changes. So what is different? It is still the same doors, the same feelings, the same sights. It is still the same meaningless wandering towards that last, final door he _knows_ he's en route to, but can never quite reach until he's opened every door before it._

_Another door is opened, another room is viewed, another door is closed and he's onward to the next. _Why_ is he doing it? _Why_ is he obediently following the predetermined routine that never changes when he _knows_ the answer lies in that last, final room, even though he doesn't know what the answer is? _

_And _there's_ that subtle difference. He knows._ _Unlike the previous times he's done this, he actually _knows_ where he is going, where the end of his aimless wandering is._ _He _knows_ the path he should follow and yet, he is completely unable to do it._ _He _has_ to open the meaningless doors before he can reach that one meaningful door._

_Finally, _finally _he reaches that last door. On cue, the same previous feelings of meaningless fear and anxiety fills him as he lays his hand on the knob, hesitant fingers anxiously folding around it, afraid to finally open the door. He doesn't know what lies beyond the door, but he knows he won't like the answer, whatever it is._

_Taking a deep breath, he faces his fear and turns the knob. Hauntingly familiar, the door takes a lifetime to open and reveal the contents of the room that is - predictably - exactly the same as all those others before it. The room has the same navy-blue curtains that billow out from the slight breeze entering the room through the window, the same dresser with the same photos, the same toy-box standing in the corner of the room and the same, perfectly made bed with its blue-and-orange covers that it has always had and just like before, he knows something is wrong with the room, but he doesn't know _what_._ _Again, his eyes sweep across the room, scanning over the familiar furniture and objects in the room until it stops at the perfectly-made bed, where he suddenly _knows_ the fault lies._

_With that simple thought, the image changes. Instead of a neatly-closed toy-box with its contents safely locked away, the floor is covered with various play-things, the lid of the toy-box standing open. The dresser with the never-changing photos standing on its top is suddenly open, its drawers in various stages of being drawn out with unfolded clothes hanging from the edges. The bed, which is normally empty and impeccably made without a wrinkle in sight, is suddenly an unmade mess of twisted blankets that does an admirable job in hiding the small, shivering figure that is curled up on the bed: a small figure that has the form of a young boy with shockingly bright blond hair that he _knows_ is incredibly dear to him; his son._

_Abruptly, his thoughts come to a complete halt. One thought rises up above the swirling mess of nonsensical thoughts that occupies his mind, fixating on that small figure lying shivering in the bed. _His son needs him_. Without a trace of hesitation, he crosses the room to reach his son's side, anxious to hold and comfort the small figure. As if he can sense his father is near, the boy stops shivering and turns his frightened face towards his father, his eyes pleading for comfort. A soft smile slips onto the elder's face as he reaches out with his hand to lay it on his son's hair in an attempt to reassure the boy of his presence, comfortable in the knowledge that he can finally be there for his son._

_It does not happen. His eyes widen in horror when instead of coming to a rest on the boy's head, his hand phases right through him. The entire world seems to stop and hang ominously in the air for a moment before it crashes down, dragging the suddenly overwhelming silence with it. The door closes with a thud as it slams into the frame, echoing through the suddenly impeccably neat again room. The curtains crash against the wall, forming a nonsensical rhythm with its repeated banging in response to the howling wind. Branches from trees beyond his sight groan in the wind, their twigs scratching out a tune against the window, forming a dissonant counter-melody to the banging of the curtains. _

_A soft whimpering voice sounds from the direction of the window._

"_Daddy…"_

_He jerks his head up, searching for the origin of that voice and sure enough, his eyes come to a rest on the little boy standing by the window who is clutching his favourite stuffed animal to his chest. The large, cerulean eyes that belong to both him and his son stare desperately at him, pleading and begging for help._

"_Daddy, help me. I'm afraid…" _

_Again, _maddeningly_, it is the same. It is the same feeling of helplessness that engulfs him as his rushes towards his son. It is the same force that prevents him from reaching his son in time as the boy slowly disappears with each step that brings him closer to his child. It is the same desperate try of reaching out with his hand to touch the boy that is futile as his son disappears completely mere millimetres away from his fingers. Again, it is the same soundless tears that stream down his cheeks as he stares at the same empty space that was occupied by his son only seconds ago._

_Mockingly familiarly, his eyes drift towards the floor where the same stuffed animal lies forlornly, staring at him with the same empty beady eyes. Completing the preordained pattern that never changes, he bends over slowly and picks up the stuffed toy, holding it between his hands. Just like all the other previous times, something breaks deep inside his heart and he sinks sobbingly down to his knees on the bedroom floor, clutching the stuffed animal to his heart._

"_Naruto..."_

Minato shot up in his bed, gasping for breath. He stared unseeingly at the wall on the opposite side of his and Kushina's room as he waited for his breath to calm down and the last remnants of the nightmare to disappear. He took a deep breath and clenched his eyes shut in a desperate attempt to calm down.

The dream had changed: it had never done that before. The dreams had always been exactly the same: he walked along the corridor, opening endless doors until he reached the last room where the bed was _always_ empty. The dream that was still lingering in his eyes was the first one _ever_ to contain an occupied bed.

He inhaled deeply and slowly released the breath before his eyes shot open. _Naruto_. What if something happened to him? What if he wasn't in his room anymore? What if –

Minato shook his head, trying to dislodge the thoughts. It wouldn't help him to panic. With a smooth motion, he stood up from the bed and grabbed the robe that was hanging across the back of a chair, consumed by the need to check up on Naruto. He was halfway across the room before a voice interrupted his movements.

"Minato?" Kushina asked sleepily from the direction of the bed. Minato turned around and met Kushina's grey eyes which were staring questioningly at him. He flashed her a tight smile, trying to reassure her.

"It's okay. Go back to sleep," he ordered her softly. "I'm just going to check in on Naruto," he explained, answering the unspoken question in her eyes, causing her to become more alert.

"Why? Did something happen?" Kushina asked concernedly, her tone filled with worry as she half-rose from her position on the bed. Minato shook his head, arresting her motion midway.

"Nothing's happened," he reassured her quickly. "I'm just…" Minato glanced away, trying to avoid her questioning gaze. He bit his lip softly, trying to find the words to describe his _need_ to see their son adequately. "I just need to see him; make sure he's still here," he finally whispered softly, hesitantly raising his eyes to meet Kushina's, wordlessly asking her to understand.

Comprehension lit Kushina's eyes.

"You had another dream," she stated, her grey eyes staring penetratingly at him. "One of _those_ dreams," she clarified.

Minato hesitated for a second before nodding slightly. The muscles around Kushina's eyes softened slightly as a sympathetic expression slipped onto her face.

"Do you want me to come along?" Kushina asked him softly, offering her support through more than just her words. Gratitude filled him at her offer. It wasn't that he _needed_ her support; he was just grateful to know that he had it; that no matter what the situation was, she was there for him to lean on.

He smiled at her, his eyes warm with love and gratitude, before shaking his head.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry," he reassured her. She studied his eyes for a couple of seconds before relaxing, satisfied with what she found.

"Okay," she agreed and nestled herself back into the cocoon of blankets she usually weaved around her and closed her eyes, seemingly going back to sleep.

Minato gave her one last glance before exiting the room, anxiety rising once again in his chest. He knew it was unreasonable, but he simply couldn't shake the thought that Naruto might be gone. _Again_. For a split second, he thought he was back in the dream as he stared at the corridor stretched out in front of him.

He took a deep breath to settle his thoughts before setting off towards the door leading into Naruto's room. The door looked exactly the same as the one in the dream and, just like in the dream, meaningless fear and anxiety rose up in his chest as he stared at the door. Logically, he knew what the scene was that awaited him: his son sleeping in his bed. _Emotionally_, he couldn't shake the thought that the scene that awaited him would be exactly the same as the one in the dream.

Hesitantly, Minato laid his hand on the doorknob before steeling himself and forcing his hand to turn the knob, opening the door and revealing the room behind it.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips at the scene that met him. The room was still painfully neat, like it had been for the past five years, but the bed was occupied. The shock of blond hair peeking out beneath the covers reassured him that Naruto _was_ in fact still safe and present in the house.

Minato sank onto the bed, the sudden relief of finding his son safe leaving him exhausted. For a long moment, Minato just stared at Naruto, his eyes flitting over the boy's sleeping features. Warmth filled his eyes and a small smile slipped onto his face. Naruto was safe. His son was safe.

He laid his hand on Naruto's head, filled by the need to touch him. Again, for a split second, he feared that his hand would pass right through the boy, but the fear changed into relief as his hand landed softly on Naruto's hair, his fingers nestling slightly into the mess of strands. His son was still there. It was all that mattered.

Naruto's features scrunched up slightly at Minato's touch before his eyelids fluttered open, revealing sleepy blue eyes that stared incomprehensibly at Minato. Minato smiled at the sight, happy that he was able to see it. The years that had passed while his son had been lost had felt like an eternity of pain, but the sight in front of him was slowly starting to erase that pain.

"Daddy?" Naruto asked sleepily, still staring blearily at Minato from sleep-filled eyes. Minato smiled gently at Naruto and tenderly stroked his hair.

"Hey," he greeted the boy softly. "Did I wake you up?" Minato asked, his tone filled with care. Naruto blinked at the question and pressed his lips together slightly before wordlessly shaking his head.

"I wasn't sleeping," he confessed, causing Minato to frown slightly in concern.

"Why not?" Minato questioned, slightly worried. "Just couldn't sleep? Or were you having nightmares?"

Silence filled the room as Naruto averted his eyes from Minato's and wordlessly shook his head, seemingly hesitating to answer the question. Finally, after a long moment, he hesitantly answered.

"Sleeping means waking up again," he murmured softly. "I don't wanna wake up from…_this_," he whispered so softly that Minato almost didn't hear him.

Minato felt his heart clench in sorrow at Naruto's confession. Naruto still didn't believe it was real: he _still_ believed that he would one day wake up and it would just be another dream. That knowledge made him wish that the people who had hurt his son so badly were burning in the deepest level of hell.

Minato swung his legs onto the bed, settling comfortably against the headboard. He placed his arm around Naruto's frail shoulders and pulled the boy closer to his side, wordlessly assuring the boy of his presence. Naruto gave in without any resistance, sighing contently as he snuggled closer to his dad, his hand softly clutching Minato's shirt. Minato laid his hand on Naruto's head, mindlessly stroking the boy's hair until he could feel his son relaxing a bit more.

"I won't disappear," he broke the comfortable silence that had settled around them after a while. "Even if you go to sleep now, I promise you that no matter what, I will be here when you wake up," he promised with confidence in his voice as he tried to reassure Naruto with more than words. "So it's okay to go to sleep. When you wake up again, you will still be here in your bed and I will still be here, holding you like this."

Silence followed his statement for so long that Minato wondered if Naruto had even heard him. That is, until Naruto's fist tightened slightly around the fabric in his hand, indicating that he _had_ heard Minato's words and was thinking about them.

"Promise?" Naruto asked in a small, hesitant voice, causing sorrow to fill Minato's heart again. Minato tightened his hold around Naruto's shoulders, trying to relay his promise through his touch. The increased pressure around Naruto's shoulders seemed to succeed in calming the boy as some kind of tension appeared to leave Naruto's body.

"Promise," Minato repeated confidently. A shy smile appeared on Naruto's face at the assurance. He gazed shyly at Minato before nodding slightly and closing his eyes, snuggling closer to his dad's side. Within a couple of minutes, his breathing slowly evened out to the deep regular breaths of sleep.

Minato kept his arm around Naruto with a slight smile on his face, content in the knowledge that he was able to comfort his son. It would take a long time for Naruto to recover from his experience in _that place_, but he would, eventually, recover. It was Minato's job as a parent to ensure that he did.

A soft sound from the door's direction caused him to look up, meeting Kushina's eyes. She was leaning against the doorframe with a small smile on her lips. Even from his position on the bed, Minato could see the happiness on her face.

She approached the bed and leaned over Minato to plant a kiss on Naruto's hair. Her braid slipped over her shoulder, coming to a rest on the bed in an imperfect red circle.

The moment felt perfect to Minato. That was all he ever really wanted: to be surrounded by his family.

Kushina's braid left the bed as she straightened again. Her hand came to a rest on Minato's shoulder as she gazed at her son with gentle eyes, seemingly studying his features. Apparently satisfied with what she found, the corners of her mouth lifted a bit more and the hand on Minato's shoulder tightened slightly before moving away as she slipped around the foot of the bed to the other side.

"He okay?" Kushina asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she laid down on Naruto's other side. Her fingers landed gently on Naruto's arm as she reached towards him, seemingly filled with the need to touch him, just like Minato himself had needed.

"For the moment," Minato replied in an equally soft voice and left it at that. The entire situation was simply too complex to add anything to his sentence and mercifully, Kushina accepted his answer. She hummed in reply before she raised her eyes to his, staring at him for a long moment before the corner of her mouth twitched upwards and her gaze lowered again, her eyes fixated upon the boy sleeping peacefully in the bed.

Silence settled comfortably around the three of them. Kushina softly caressed Naruto's arm with her thumb, her entire body radiating tranquillity. Before long, the soothing rhythm of Naruto's breathing lulled her to sleep as well.

Minato gazed at his family with soft eyes, basking in the moment. In his eyes, everything in that moment was absolutely perfect. With a smile on his face, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to slip into the soft darkness of sleep.

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Naruto laid in the dreamy haze between sleep and true wakefulness. He was pleasantly warm: he could feel a comfortable warmth pressing against him from both sides. It kind of reminded him of that time when Yumi-chan had missed her family and had held him the entire night. She had cried that night and he had been unable to do anything to make her stop. The more he had tried the worse her tears and sobs had gotten.

Maybe the pleasant warmth pressing against him was Yumi-chan. Maybe she was lonely again. Maybe she was crying again.

A single lucid thought jumped to the front of his mind. It couldn't be Yumi-chan, because Yumi-chan was...

_("Please Naru-chan, don't look. Please, please don't look." A flash of red; crimson fluid dripping down begging brown eyes, sliding down white cheeks to meet rivulets of red flowing over blue blue lips. _

_"Please don't lose your innocence, Naru-chan. You're the only light we have left.") _

Naruto's eyes shot open. An unfamiliar sight greeted him, causing him to blink in surprise. The warmth against his side _was_ another person, but it wasn't Yumi-chan. It was...his dad? He continued to stare at the man, unable to comprehend what was going on. He had just woken up, which meant that he couldn't be dreaming. So why was his dad, who only appeared in his dreams, lying next to him?

"Naruto?"

He looked up, meeting his dad's eyes. He blinked a couple of times, trying to order his thoughts. He remembered dreaming about his dad comforting him, promising that he would be there when Naruto woke up - and he was. He was there. So did that mean...that it hadn't been a dream? That it had been real?

No, it couldn't have been real. Maybe he was still dreaming. Maybe he was only _dreaming_ that he had woken up but in reality he was still sleeping in the cold cold room that somehow seemed to belong to him (or he belonged to it; he never was quite sure). Or maybe, he was going crazy. He had sometimes heard Kai-kun talking to Yumi-chan, saying that he was afraid of losing his mind and going crazy. Was this what going crazy felt like?

A strong, but strangely gentle pressure pressed him against his dad's side, causing his thoughts to come to an abrupt halt. It was so hard to remember that it was only a dream when it _felt_ so real. He so desperately wanted to believe that it was real, but it couldn't be. It just couldn't be. Dreams didn't _come_ true. They just didn't.

"Naruto? Are you okay?"

Naruto looked up, meeting his dad's eyes again. His dad was looking at him with concern in his eyes. It made his heart ache. _Why_ did the dream have to feel so real? It would only make it worse when he had to wake up. He hated the dreams.

His dad sighed and folded his arms around Naruto. Naruto could feel the warmness radiating from his dad's arms. It made him feel so safe; like nothing bad would ever happen to him. He loved the dreams, but he knew he was never safe; he had learned that the hard way. The dream couldn't protect him from reality. It never could.

Somebody else stirred on his other side. He looked at it and met the sight of his mom looking sleepily at him. A smile appeared on her lips and she reached out towards him, her hand landing on his hair.

"Hey honey," she murmured happily and yawned. "Slept well?"

He stared at her. Slept well? What kind of question was that? He was still sleeping, wasn't he? This _was _just a dream, wasn't it?

A maelstrom of emotions welled up in his chest.

He burst into tears. He couldn't take it anymore. He _hated_ the dream. Why didn't it stop already? Hadn't he suffered _enough_?

He sniffled and tried to wipe the tears away, but the flood just didn't want to stop. The gestures and words from his dream-parents as they tried to console him only made it worse.

"Please, make it stop. I d-don't...I don't," he pleaded, but couldn't finish the sentence. He didn't want to...what? Stay in the dream where he was safe and content, but wasn't real? Or wake up in reality where he was cold and alone, but wasn't taunted by things that could never happen? He couldn't decide.

The dream of his mom pulled him onto her lap and pressed his head against her chest. He leaned eagerly against her, soaking up her warmth, but hated himself for being weak enough to fall deeper into the dream.

"Oh Naruto," his mom murmured, gently rubbing his back. Her voice was sad. Naruto didn't like that. It was a dream, and dreams were supposed to be happy, right? His mom couldn't be sad. He didn't want her to be sad.

Suddenly, he didn't care anymore. He didn't care that it was only a dream. He didn't care that he was being weak. He only cared that his mom was sad.

"Do you still think this is just a dream?" Naruto's dad asked from the other side of the bed, confusing Naruto. It _was_ still just a dream.

He nodded slightly. "Yes," he murmured softly, because even though he had decided to live in the dream to keep his mom from being sad, he didn't want to lie to his parents, even if they _were_ only dreams.

His dad sighed. "It's going to take some time," the man stated softly and received a soft agreement from Naruto's mom. Naruto didn't know what his dad meant with that, but it was fine. He wasn't listening. Not really. The dream was going to end too soon for him to wonder about things he didn't understand.

His mom's heartbeat lulled him. He was tired, but he didn't want to sleep. The dream was too pleasant; too safe. If he fell asleep, the dream _would_ end.

Or maybe it already did. Maybe _this_ was where people went when they fell into the never-ending sleep. Like Yumi-chan did. Maybe she too was in a place like this. He liked that thought. Yumi-chan was nice, so she deserved a nice place. Not like him. He wanted the dream to be real, but he knew it never would be, because he didn't deserve it. He knew there was only one place he belonged, and it wasn't in the dream.

Still, as his mom continued to rub his back and his dad continued to stroke his hair, he wished that, for just one second, he could belong.

He glanced hesitantly at his mom, unable to keep his eyes off the dream. She smiled reassuringly at him. He liked that. Hesitantly, he returned her smile, causing her entire face to light up as her own smile broadened even more. It filled his heart with warmth.

Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad to believe in the dream.

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Kushina continued to rub Naruto's back, saddened about his tears, but overjoyed that she could finally hold him again. The tension in his body gradually dissipated, causing the boy to relax against her. She looked down at him and felt her heart clench at the sight of the confusion in her son's eyes, so when he hesitantly glanced at her she couldn't help but to smile at him, hoping to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. It felt like the sun rose for the first time in a very long time when he hesitantly smiled back at her. She pulled him even closer to her, revelling in the fact that he was _there_. She only pulled away from him when she felt him tense up again, most likely uncomfortable with the prolonged contact. Somehow, she didn't think that he would've had much opportunity to be hugged a lot in the five years he had been missing.

"What do you say about some breakfast?" Kushina suggested with a cheerful smile, trying to get rid of the confused tension in the air. Naruto looked down at her words, his fingers playing nervously with the covers on his bed, but a shy smile was on his face.

"Okay," he replied shyly, still looking down. Kushina gave him another brief hug before she stood up.

"Why don't you get dressed? You can join me in the kitchen afterwards," she suggested. It would do the boy good to be up and active. "You can keep me company, or help me, if you want to."

Naruto looked uncertainly at her, softly chewing on his bottom lip. He glanced at Minato and only when he received a reassuring nod from his father did he agree.

"Okay," he repeated softly. Minato ruffled the boy's hair, causing another shy smile to appear on Naruto's face. Kushina couldn't stop the smile on her face from expanding at the sight. She gave the boy a soft kiss on his head.

"I'll be waiting in the kitchen," she stated and started to move away from the bed, but she found herself hindered when Naruto's hand shot out and grabbed her dress. She looked down at him, an unspoken question in her eyes.

"Don't go," he pleaded in a soft whisper. Kushina's heart clenched in sadness at the broken tone in her son's voice. She sank down to her knees, gazing deeply into her son's cerulean eyes and taking his hands in hers.

"It's okay," she said. "I'm not going far," she reassured him and gestured towards Minato with her head. "Your father will stay here while you get dressed, and then you'll both join me in the kitchen, okay?" Kushina said and reassuringly tightened her hold on his hands. He stared wordlessly at her, his eyes filled with unspoken emotions. A couple of seconds passed in silence before Naruto bit his lip softly and looked down again, giving her a silent nod. His hand released its grip on her dress, allowing her to step away.

Kushina met Minato's eyes with a silent plea. He nodded at her, reassuring her that he would take care of their son while she was gone.

A couple of minutes later, she was dressed in her everyday clothes and standing in the kitchen, starting to make breakfast. She lost herself in the normality of the task, but her thoughts kept returning to the boy upstairs. She wanted to make him feel completely at home, but she knew it would take time. He had been separated from them too long. She had no illusions that it was going to be easy. She knew that too much had changed; he had gone through too much to just settle in like nothing ever happened. It was up to her and Minato to make sure he settled with as little stress as possible.

The French toast was sizzling in the pan by the time the two men in her life entered the kitchen. She looked around when they entered and blinked in surprise at the sight. Minato was looking at her with a sheepish smile on his face and Naruto was hiding slightly behind Minato, looking shyly at her. He was dressed in a slightly off-white shirt that hung loosely around his frame and navy shorts that Kushina recognized from Minato's time in the Academy.

She blinked again and stared at Minato, a questioning look in her eyes. He rubbed the back of his head, the sheepish smile on his face broadening slightly.

"We…kinda forgot his own clothes don't fit anymore," he explained sheepishly. "This is the best I could do with what we had at hand."

Kushina blinked at his answer before nodding and turning her attention back to the food on the stove, taking his explanation in stride. She flipped the toast over before turning to the cupboard beneath the counter on her left.

"I'll get him some clothes today," she promised and took out a couple of plates, placing it on the counter beside her. "By the way, why on _earth_ do you still have those shorts?" Kushina questioned with an amused tone in her voice, looking back at her husband to see his reaction. He blushed slightly and guided Naruto to the kitchen table, helping the boy to climb on the chair before joining him at the table.

"Honestly, I have _no _idea. I was just as surprised to find it as you, but it's helping our purposes right now," he explained. Kushina merely quirked an eyebrow at him before she turned her attention back to the food, accepting his answer. She dished the food onto the plates and placed it on the table in front of her family, joining them at the table.

"Well then," she stated and smiled at Naruto, "enjoy." Naruto ducked his head at the attention, but a small smile was on his face. Slowly and with much hesitation, he picked at his food before taking his first bite. His eyes widened in wonder at the taste and his hand shot to his mouth.

"It's good," he whispered in amazement, his gaze moving towards Kushina in awe. Kushina laughed at his expression before leaning over and ruffling his hair.

"Well, of course it is!" Kushina declared. "Did you think I'd give you food that tasted bad on your first day back with us?" Kushina asked jokingly. Naruto blushed slightly and dropped his gaze again, but the smile on his face broadened slightly, filling Kushina with joy.

She laughed again and shot a glance at Minato. He was smiling broadly, reflecting the same joy Kushina was feeling. For the first time in a very long time, they were _whole_ again.

She knew it wouldn't last; she knew they were going to have problems later on, but for the moment, it was enough.

_~…end of chapter…~_

A/N: So, major family fluff. Still, I enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed reading it as well.

Now I have two requests from the readers:

If there is something you want to see happen in the story, you're welcome to leave a suggestion! As I said previously, I'm a terrible planner, so any suggestions as to what should happen in the story are welcome. I have a (very) basic plotline, so if your suggestions fit into the plot I will gladly incorporate it into the story.

In the next chapter, I'm planning to have an encounter with one of the Konoha 12. Who would you like the encounter to be with? Anyone of the Konoha 12 is acceptable, so it's up to you readers to decide who it's going to be.


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